It's the in-flight romance we all hope for - when you take your seat and hope the person next to you might be a good-looking stranger with a heart of gold. More often than not, they turn out to be an elderly, cranky, armrest stealer.
But one Auckland woman is hoping for a happy ending after sparks flew with a stranger on a recent domestic flight.
The anonymous woman reportedly boarded Air New Zealand flight NZ0441 from Auckland to Wellington on Monday, with her sister and sister's eight-month-old baby.
According to NZME, a "tall, handsome, dark-haired" man sat with them, offering his aisle seat to make things easier with the baby.
The woman's sister - who contacted NZME - says the man was an engineer and flying home to see his mum on the Kapiti Coast for Christmas.
She says her sister was "usually very picky", so for her to be interested in the "dapperly dressed" man in seat 17C was a rare occurrence - a Christmas miracle if you will.
"We really want her to meet someone nice," she said.
"We are not sure if he is single and we might find him and he'll tell us he has a girlfriend, but it's Christmas time and everyone likes a happy ending.
"We are just hoping this might be one."
It's not the first time an airline has brought a couple together. Earlier this year Aussie and Kiwi couple Cathy and David got married halfway between the two countries on a Jetstar flight, as a way to symbolise their "love for aviation, Australia and New Zealand and for each other".
