So You Think You Can Pick Up on Airplanes?
October 20, 2010, By P.K. Lassiter 1 comment
Here in America, we’re being bombarded with dancing. People watch the "stars" dance (if Kate Gosselin is a star, consider me a God). People seek it out on YouTube (Matt Harding started a craze). Networks ask kids if they think they can dance (Fox’s attempt at originality). This is all well and good, but comparatively simple when it comes to a dance some know, but few of us know well. A delicate, dance of a master …
The single business traveler who can start a relationship on an airplane.
You’re a busy guy. Meeting women on solid ground can be tricky enough. But if you use your flight wisely, and put down the work for a few minutes, the possibilities can be quite promising flying the friendly skies.
Now, I’m no Casanova. But I have assessed and practiced an approach through years of air travel that seems to work pretty well. Some might say I float around the aisle pretty smoothly.
Here are the do’s and don’ts to follow if you want to waltz a lady down the jetway and into your life.
A NOTE TO REMEMBER: Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is amplified on an airplane. Use this as a rule when applying the following.
Do: Get on the plane as late as possible. If you like to get in your seat and settle in early, tough. Resist the urge. Any survey offers an advantage using a birdseye view. You’re in a position of power. And most importantly, you can see who is looking at you. Eye contact is the invitation. Take it all in.
Don’t: Dress like you’re headed to the beach. Nowadays men travel more leisurely than ever. But unless you’re boarding a water-plane to an island in the South Pacific, leave the flip-flops at home. Shorts too. There’s nothing wrong with looking casual, just not too casual. Think of it this way, if all goes well you want to be able to segue to ANY environment. Including her favorite spot on her way home from the airport. Dress appropriately.
Do: Chat up the flight attendant. These women are the keymasters to every single person on the plane. They know who’s drinking what, what they’re reading (a clue to their interests) and who they’re with. And if you’ve made a good entrance, the single ladies are watching. Assuredness and class is a must during exchanges with the flight attendants. The ladies are memory banking this for the future.
Don’t: Drink heavily. You may be going to Vegas on a red-eye for a bachelor party with the fellas, but resist the urge to binge on the plane. Women won’t want to spend an evening with ‘the drunk guy on flight 666’, so keep it cool. One or two is plenty. And don’t order champagne. Trust me.
Do: Start the conversation. This only applies if she’s sitting in your immediate vicinity. Use the one row rule. Any women that is showing interest (eye contact) within one row, forward back, either side, is fair play. Be subtle. Use something on or about her as your opener. Be it a laptop, crossword puzzle, book, or her cell phone, it’s all a way in.
Don’t: Ask her neighbor to get up. This is low-rent all the way and the sign of a rank amateur. Your seat is the place to be, let her crane her neck or lean over your seat to speak with you. Now, in no way am I suggesting chauvinistic behavior. I’m suggesting strength. This is your domain, desperation is twice as obvious and three times as odiferous on an airplane.
Do: Mix up the routine. If you have a laptop, use it. A book, read it. A chatty neighbor, converse with ‘em. Every single tool you can use to look multi-faceted, mutable and relaxed is a beacon of cool on a plane. She’ll be thinking, “This guy can do it all.” Sound silly? If you think so … See A NOTE TO REMEMBER.
So now that we’ve reached altitude, stay tuned for more moves you can bank on as we close out this trip on the mile high dance floor ...
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