Looking for love? Try the airport

Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington, believes that a busy airport is a prime meeting place for singles looking for love or just a little conversation. And to meet that special someone, you won’t need to make eyes above your newspaper, or ask the ticket agent to seat you next to a single male ala the movie “Singles.” Instead, Schwartz advocates either the direct approach (“Hi! You’re the most handsome man in the airport and I thought I’d come over and say hello.”) or the subtle approach (sit next to the person and make small talk). And now there’s another way to meet folks at the airport: online.

With online social networking becoming more and more popular, it’s no surprise that there’s a site dedicated to airport interactions. Peter Shankman founded AirTroductions.com, a site that was originally intended for business travelers to register itineraries and information about themselves so that they might take advantage of layover time for professional networking. But the site naturally evolved into a meeting place for “folks seeking personal connections.” AirTroductions will be relaunched as Triplife.com this December, but you can always try other travel-related social networking sites such as Dopplr to meet like-minded travelers looking for a little love.

As with any situation where you might approach a stranger, remember your manners and be aware of their personal space. Just because you can barely keep your mitts off the handsome hottie next to you in the waiting area doesn’t mean that said hottie necessarily wants to be fondled.

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