Ahead of Valentine’s Day, global air-travel consumer rights company AirAdvisor has unveiled its first-ever Love Connection Score, a light-hearted global ranking of airports where travellers are statistically most likely to strike up a real-world connection.
While Singapore Changi Airport placed sixth overall with a score of 7.45, the study highlights Changi as the world’s standout airport for passenger mood, comfort and social spaces – key ingredients for spontaneous encounters between travellers.
According to AirAdvisor’s analysis, Changi achieved a perfect 10 out of 10 for passenger mood and comfort and recorded the highest Google review rating in the region at 4.7.
More notably, it topped the entire global study for social infrastructure, offering more cafes, bars, restaurants and shared public spaces per passenger than any other airport surveyed.
The research suggests that such environments encourage travellers to slow down, linger and interact – rather than rush from gate to gate.
Attractions such as Jewel Changi Airport, with its indoor gardens, waterfall, cinemas and open seating zones, were cited as examples of how Changi transforms layovers into leisure time.
“Singapore highlights the impact of passenger experience,” said Mr Anton Radchenko, chief executive officer of AirAdvisor. “It’s not only about the number of travellers passing through. Many of Asia’s biggest hubs are built to keep people comfortable during long transfers – and that has an unexpected side effect. When travellers linger longer in dining areas, lounges and open seating zones, social interaction becomes more likely than in airports designed purely for fast turnover.”
The Love Connection Score is built on the idea that romance is driven by probability rather than place. Airports were scored across six weighted factors, including passenger volume, international route diversity, proportion of transfer passengers, availability of social venues within terminals, city-level dating and nightlife appeal, and overall passenger comfort.
Globally, Istanbul Airport topped the ranking, followed by Asia’s major hubs. Incheon International Airport ranked second worldwide, while Haneda Airport also placed in the top tier – reinforcing the region’s reputation for turning transit time into lifestyle experiences.
AirAdvisor noted that Asian airports tend to be designed not only for operational efficiency but as social and retail destinations, with dining clusters, gardens and shared lounges deliberately positioned to encourage dwell time.
For Changi, this design philosophy appears to be paying off. Heavy international passenger flows, a high proportion of transfer travellers and an unusually rich mix of public spaces combine to create natural meeting points for solo travellers.
AirAdvisor also offered practical tips for those hoping to increase their chances of a memorable encounter at airports like Changi – including choosing longer layovers, spending time in cafes and shared seating areas instead of isolated gates, staying off phones and headphones, and using simple ice-breakers such as flight delays or destination questions to start conversations.
The Love Connection Score, AirAdvisor stressed, measures social interaction potential rather than relationship outcomes – but at Singapore Changi, the conditions for a chance connection appear to be among the best in the world.
santosh@sph.com.sg
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13 Feb 2025 18:52
