How to Meet Women on a Plane Alone

Yes, you can meet women on a plane alone, and flying solo makes it easier. With no travel partner to talk to, you are free to start conversations at the gate, in the boarding line, in your row and at baggage claim. Most of the meeting happens around the flight, where she can come and go as she likes, and the seat beside you is a bonus if your neighbor is in the mood to chat.

A man traveling with a friend talks to his friend. A man flying solo is open by default. He has nobody to check with, nobody to wait for at the gate and nobody watching if a hello goes nowhere.

Women flying alone are in the same position. A woman on her own on a four-hour flight often has an empty afternoon and nothing but a downloaded show to fill it.

The flight is the smallest part of the day. The best places to meet someone are the ones around it:

• The gate, where everyone waits with nothing to do and the delay screen hands you a topic.
• The airport bar or lounge, where sitting beside a stranger is normal.
• The boarding line and the jet bridge, a few seconds side by side.
• Baggage claim, ten minutes of standing around after landing.
• A connection, when you spot a woman from your first flight at the next gate.

That last one is a gift. "Weren't you on the flight from Denver?" is about the easiest first line there is.

You cannot choose your neighbor, but you can choose your seat. An aisle seat lets you get up without climbing over anyone. On long flights, people drift to the back galley to stretch, refill their water and chat with the crew. A short talk standing up there is easier for both of you than a long one wedged into a row.

If the woman next to you wants to talk, enjoy it. Say hello as you sit, keep it short until after takeoff and let her show you how much conversation she wants.

Talk about the trip. Where is she headed, is it home or away, and what is she going there for? Travel gives you a dozen natural questions, and every one of them leads to her plans and her life.

Keep it playful. a dating coach's advice on dull questions is to answer them with a little humor. If someone asks what brought you here, he suggests saying "An airplane," which gets a laugh and keeps things light. Travel small talk is full of questions like that, and each one is a chance to be more fun than the last stranger she spoke to.

Planes make nerves worse, because the stakes feel high: if it goes badly, you are stuck. So the usual result is the one a dating coach describes in his writing on approach anxiety. "You walk by her without uttering a single word."

The fix is to lower the bar. Your goal at the gate is one sentence, not a date. Say something about the delay, get an answer and count it as a win. When a hello costs that little, the next one comes easier. And remember that the gate is not the plane. If she is not interested, she walks to the window and you both forget it.

If you are landing in her city, ask where she likes to go. If you are landing in your own city and she is visiting, give her a recommendation and then offer to show her. "If you get tired of the tourist spots, I know the best tacos in town."

Ask for her number before the plane parks, or at baggage claim while she waits for her bag anyway. Text her that same day, while she is settling in. A visitor's plans fill up fast, and the first person to suggest something usually gets the evening.

If the hard part for you is the first sentence, that is exactly what the Cold Approach Bootcamp is built around. It is in person and fully in the field in Miami and New York, with live coaching on every approach, and it specializes in approach anxiety. Each day mixes daygame on streets and in cafes with night game in bars and lounges. Group is three consecutive days at three students per coach, and Private is 1-on-1 for one, two or three days.