How to Meet New People at the Airport

Meeting new people is all about making the best use of opportunities that chance throws your way. Thus while delayed flights and long queues at security checks make for some frazzled tempers, the same can prove to be a goldmine as far as meeting new people is concerned. So if you are a frequent flier and blaming lack of leisure time for your restricted social circle, here are a few ways to turn the game and transform the airport into a socializing venue.

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Give yourself time

Just like you would set out for a date or a get-together with enough commute time, do the same when you are heading for the airport. If you wait until the last minute, you’ll rush through security and run to your gate with no chance to meet anyone. On the other hand, getting there a little early will allow you to take your time, walk around the terminal and eventually spend time at the gate, giving you opportunities to talk with any other people who may be heading for the same lounge as you are.

Drop in at a coffee shop

Like any other café in your city, you can meet interesting people here too. Every airport has a Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, or any other coffee shop where travelers drop in to have a beverage or simply to kill time till the boarding announcement. Meeting someone at a coffee shop in an airport is no different than doing it in one in your city. The same rules, like presenting a friendly demeanor and commenting on a book that someone at the next table may be reading, apply here too; however one important difference is that airport coffee-shops provide a great context for conversation – since everyone is going somewhere, it is easier to open a conversation and carry on chatting without feeling like you are intruding or plain desperate. For those with more distinguished tastes, some airports have a wine bar too – is there anything more conducive to breaking the ice than mulling over a Pinot Noir at a wine tasting?

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Make yourself approachable

Once you are through with the security check, sit in lightly populated areas, not empty ones. A few empty seats around you helps, but not too many. then again don’t make the mistake of whipping out your headphones the moment they settle down at an airport lounge – how can anyone talkto you if you’re watching movies, playing games on your laptop, or listening to music? Instead read a paper, magazine, book or even Kindle book. Smile every now and then when you come across something funny or interesting or at least have a pleasant look. People will find it easier to approach you that way and you will have an amusing anecdote or interesting fact ready to share – thereby starting a conversation. If you are of a creative bent of mind, you can even make use of some props to catch the attention of a comely fellow-traveller. For instance keep a handy stack of Swedish krona or Nepalese Rupee. So you can flip them out at a bar or magazine rack, ‘Gosh, all I have is this krona – forgot to get dollars.’ It shows you travel all the time and it makes you rather an intriguing person to know.

Open a conversation

The two simplest questions you can ask someone at the airport are, “So, where are you headed to?” And “Are you coming or going?” When they give you a response, you can decide where to take things. If the place they mention is a place you’ve been before, then your next question could be, “for business or pleasure?” Or you could talk about your experiences in that place and see if you two have any of them in common. On the other hand if the city is unknown to you, you have further scope of asking them about the city, what nightlife, work and cultural activities they afford.

Again try and interject some fun in your conversation, instead of making it a monotonous itinerary of things to see in a city. For instance if you fellow-traveler reveals that the city he/she is heading to is their hometown, you know they’ll be biased towards it. Play into that by teasing certain aspects and getting them into a playful mindset while defending the city they grew up in. Another interesting thing to think about is although many people are traveling for work, what better place to fantasize about where you’d like to travel than at the airport? So instead of sticking to the predictable route of asking if they are heading to the city for business or pleasure, you can adopt a different angle by asking, “If you could go anywhere right now, where would you like to go?” This will leave the conversation open for interesting discussions and you can even question their choice which in turn will help you find about who they are beneath the suit and briefcase. Finally who knows you may bond over common vacation aspirations and perhaps find yourself a companion for your next holiday too. Also keep your powers of observation finely tuned. For instance if you’re standing, sitting around, check the person’s bag to see if there are travel tags. People who travel frequently know the airport codes really well so it gives you an opportunity to use that to start and continue a conversation.

Keep an open mind

While it is possible to make a friend anywhere in the world, avoid pinning on all your socializing hopes on the airport. Because of the transitory and temporary nature of the meeting, it is unlikely you will find your soul-mate there. But then if an encounter at the airport doesn’t pan out the way you’d like, the chances of you seeing that person again is slim to none. You each can go your own way without fear of awkwardness as it might have been in case of a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

At the end of it all though, who knows, what may happen at the end of the day. Maybe someone you had chatted up at the airport actually lives in your return destination city; so if you two hit it off, you may get to see the guy or girl again which in turn could be the beginning of something nice.