Singapore’s Changi ranks 7th among 10 airports where you might meet the love of your life

SINGAPORE: Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but if you’re still looking for love, well, Changi Airport may be the place you’ll find it.

On AirAdvisor’s first-ever Love Connection Score, which was published earlier this month, Changi Airport made the top 10, ranking seventh overall in terms of where a person might find the love of their life.

AirAdvisor looked into 24 airports across the globe to determine the best ones for creating “the strongest and weakest conditions for spontaneous human connection.”

The company examined practical aspects, such as the length of time travellers stay in the same area, how comfortable the surroundings are, how frequently passengers’ paths cross, and whether an airport encourages lingering or makes people feel like they have to rush through their stays.

This has brought about a ranking that shines a light on the airports where “chance encounters are simply more likely to happen.”

Each airport received a score from 1 to 10 for the following categories: passenger volume (25 per cent), International mixing/route diversity (15 per cent), transfer passenger presence (15 per cent), social infrastructure (15 per cent), city nightlife and dating (20 per cent) and passenger mood and comfort (10 per cent).

Here is AirAdvisor’s top 10 world’s best airports for finding the love of your life, with their corresponding Love Connection Scores.

1. Istanbul Airport (IST) — 8.3
2. Incheon International Airport (ICN) — 8.0
3. Heathrow Airport (LHR) — 7.85
4. Dubai International Airport (DXB) — 7.85
5. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — 7.8
6. Tokyo International Airport (HND) — 7.6
7. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) — 7.45
8. Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)  — 7.25
9. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — 7.20
10. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) — 7.15

Changi Airport scored particularly well in terms of the number of social venues per million people, as well as passenger mood and comfort.

Why Istanbul Airport took first place

This is what AirAdvisor says about Istanbul Airport: “With around 84 million passengers a year and flights to more than 340 destinations, Istanbul Airport brings together one of the most internationally diverse traveller pools in the world. It also scores highly for social infrastructure, with a dense spread of bars, cafés, and full-service restaurants across the terminal. These spaces are designed for lingering rather than quick turnover, and that encourages travellers to spend time in shared areas instead of moving straight from gate to gate.

Plus, a large share of passengers stay inside the terminal for extended periods. This creates repeated overlap in the same cafés, dining areas, and seating zones, increasing the likelihood of familiar faces and natural conversation. That airport experience is reinforced by Istanbul itself, which has a vibrant nightlife and social scene.” /TISG

Read also: ‘Totally worth it’: Traveler praises Changi Airport, but not everyone agrees