A surprising moment on a flight that departed from Los Angeles International Airport last week quickly went viral on social media after a flight attendant made an unusual move shortly before landing and asked a passenger out on a date in front of everyone on board.
Using the plane's public address system, the flight attendant addressed the passenger, saying, "To the cute guy in seat 17D, I have something for you before you get off the plane." According to the passenger, every head on the plane turned toward him at that moment, and he admitted he felt embarrassed.
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When he reached the exit, the flight attendant handed him a folded napkin and asked him to save it "for a rainy day." Only after entering the terminal did he open the note and discover the surprise: her name, her phone number and a short message in which she invited him to join her on a trip to a destination of his choice.
The offer was based on flight benefits available to aircrew, including Buddy Pass tickets, which sometimes allow an additional person to fly at low cost or free of charge, subject to availability.
But beyond the romantic gesture, the story sparked a lively debate in the US. While some social media users praised the flight attendant's courage and called the act "sweet" and "romantic," many others argued that using the public address system was unprofessional and even embarrassing for the passenger.
"If a man had done the same thing to a flight attendant, everyone would condemn him," one commenter wrote. Others argued she could simply have handed him the note discreetly as he left the plane, without turning him into the focus of attention for everyone in the cabin. On the other hand, some users said they had met their partners during flights and argued that the gesture was flattering rather than offensive.
In fact, this is not the first time flight attendants have made the first move. One well-known story involved a flight attendant who passed her email address to a passenger on a flight from New York to San Diego, and the two later married. In another case, shared by the couple's son on Reddit, a flight attendant asked a passenger out on a date, and the two have now been married for 25 years.
New Zealand actor KJ Apa has also said in the past that during a flight from Paris, a flight attendant gave him her phone number on a napkin, and the two did indeed stay in touch afterward.
