An Australian woman’s TikTok has gone viral after she wrote a loving message to another plane passenger in an attempt to get a date.
Isabella Duric, 23, was on a Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Melbourne on January 13 when she noticed a “cute boy” in the back row, in front of her and her friends.
While confessing it was a challenge, she said she was genuinely interested in the young man.
“My friend said, ‘I found your crush at the airport’ and pointed to the guy behind us,” Isabelle, from Melbourne, told news.com.au.
“I told the girls about it on Snapchat and said ‘imagine texting that guy’ and they dared me to do it.”
In the clip, which has garnered 1.3 million views, Isabella shares a photo of the note she wrote for the young man, which reads: “Hey, add my number,” along with her Instagram and Snapchat accounts.
She signed her name and, in parentheses, wrote “blonde” to help identify her.
One of the two friends she is traveling with is seen crumpling up the ticket and attaching it to her crush who is wearing a white cap and sitting next to a window.
“It bounced off the window and landed next to his seat. But he thought it was for someone else and didn’t read it,” Isabella explained.
In the caption, the 23-year-old expressed the “embarrassment” she felt at not having read the note.
“I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take my photo. I decided to go all out and create a letter that would get his attention. However, the execution turned into a comically embarrassing moment,” he wrote.
“After creating the note, we managed to throw it in his direction. But moments later, looming second-hand embarrassment overwhelmed me when he didn’t even look at the letter we threw at him. It was one of those angry moments where you wish you could just disappear from the situation.”
Isabella told news.com.au that when the mission failed, the trio decided to alert him with a message on their phone that read “OPEN NOTE” in a bright yellow font.
The clip then cuts directly to a text message from her crush, implying that their mission was (ultimately) a success.
It read: “Hey Isabella, I’m Lachie, the guy you texted haha, how are you (sic). Unfortunately I didn’t have internet on the plane to add you.”
Many took to the comments section asking for an update, including Virgin Australia who commented: “We are on the edge of our seats.”
Isabella revealed to news.com.au that following Lachie’s message, she responded and apologized for “being annoying”, to which Lachie replied: “nah, you’re fine.”
The pair kept up the texts for a few days, talking about what each other does at work and college, but Isabella said it didn’t escalate into anything more.
“Everything is meant to happen for a reason and it was also kind of a joke (about my airport crushes) – and now I’m seeing someone else,” she said.
In the caption, Isabella said it’s all a “lighthearted reminder of the risks we take in the name of love or attraction, especially at close range like a plane.”
“I think it’s the mystery behind who they are, where they’re going. And also Christmas romances are such a big thing now,” she said.
It triggered a lot of discussion in the comments section about “airport crushes” and spontaneous acts on airplanes in the name of love.
Virgin Australia head of marketing and customer operations Libby Minogue said she often hears stories of people finding love on Virgin flights.
“Whether it’s a conversation started at the gate or a connection with the person sitting next to you,” Minogue said.
“There’s something about flying that makes people more open to the unexpected. From mid-air marriage proposals to weddings, we’ve played the role of Cupid more than once. It turns out that love really is in the air.”
According to Sydney-based clinical psychologist and relationship expert Shahn Baker Sorekli, there has been a cultural shift in the way people seek connection.
“For years, dating apps have dominated, offering efficiency but also creating what I like to call a ‘connection void,’” said Sorekli, owner of Drummoyne Psychology.
“From a psychological perspective, this reflects a broader tension between convenience stimulation and authenticity: People crave meaningful interaction, but the digital format often promotes superficial engagement that ultimately distances people from the experience.”
He said he is seeing two patterns emerge: “some individuals are becoming more socially avoidant due to reduced in-person interaction and skills, while others are consciously pushing themselves away.”
The co-author of “The 8 bonds of love” explained that people are tired of online transactional exchanges and want to feel the sense of excitement and vitality that comes from genuine, face-to-face encounters.
“Gestures like leaving a ticket on a plane capture that impulse perfectly. It’s not just about romance, but also the human need to reconnect in real time with vulnerability and excitement, without technology mediating the moment.”
Sydney based dating and relationship coach Nicola Colantoni he added that when you travel, you are often less guarded and more open to adventure, seeing everything around you as a possibility.
“Research supports this, describing airports as ‘liminal spaces’ – transitional environments where normal roles and daily routines fade and people become more curious and receptive to new experiences and interactions,” he told news.com.au.
“You also share a moment of anticipation with strangers, which makes sparks more possible. That’s why airport confrontations are so common: the mix of novelty, closeness and the sense of ‘what if’ can amplify the attraction.”
He said the fact that Isabella’s video has attracted over a million views suggests that this is an experience that many people identify with and find desirable.
date: 2026-02-12 19:41:00
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