Love at First Flight

On a flight from Milan to New York, Phillip and Floriana were randomly seated next to each other. Within only 8 hours, they both found their soulmates.

Despite being miles apart (Floriana lives in Italy, and Phillip in New Jersey) and in different timezones, they've found creative ways to bridge the gap, enjoying daily lunches and sleeping together over FaceTime.

This love story is at its beginning, but the connection between the two of them gives you hope it will last a lifetime. Here’s how it all took flight.

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Can you tell us the story of how you met?

Phillip: I had been traveling in Croatia and reached a layover in Milan on my way back to New York. I had boarded early and had been keeping to myself until I noticed the very last person who boarded the plane, Floriana.

Floriana: I always board last. I don’t like the traffic when people are boarding, so I’m always happy to be the final person on the flight. As I was finding my seat, I said “Ciao” (I’m from Italy) to the person I needed to nudge to get into my window seat. He was confused, and it became clear to me that he was not Italian. So I asked him where he was from and he told me “America”. I texted my friend and told her that I was sitting next to some cute American boy on the flight. She encouraged me to go for it…

There was a silence filled with wonder and attraction for about 3 minutes until a woman who was reclining her chair into Phillip’s space broke the ice.

Phillip: This woman was leaning her seat as far as possible, pretty much to the point of touching my face. When I looked up, I saw Floriana laughing at me and then she turned away. I wasn’t sure if she spoke English so I kept staring at her iPad to see if the work she was doing used English vocabulary. Sure enough, it did, and it became my chance to spark a conversation. I led with the classic “What brings you to New York?”

Floriana: I wanted to sleep initially, but once we began talking I had forgotten how tired I had been. It was love at first sight.

Eight hours is a long flight, how did you keep each other entertained?

Phillip: We talked about our work, we showed each other pictures of our family and friends, we watched movies next to each other, and she introduced me to her favorite Italian music.

Floriana: We were both big fans of Star Wars, so there was a lot of talk about that subject as well.

Was there chemistry immediately? Or was that something that built up over time?

Phillip: As soon as we stepped off the plane, I knew I had found my soulmate and wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. So I invited her to a pool party I was going to in New York.

Floriana: We just enjoyed each other’s company. We went to this party where I was able to bring and introduce him to some of my family. We did our best to make every moment as memorable as we could so that when I left for Italy, we could hold onto those moments while we were apart.

And what has long-distance been like?

Phillip: At first it was difficult, and we are still learning how to co-exist together. We have lunch nearly every day over video.

Floriana: We get to sleep together every night too! Because of the time difference, I’ll FaceTime Phillip and fall asleep while we’re on video. It gives me a sense of comfort that we’re together, almost like being in the same bed.

Any last words of advice to someone that happens to be seated on a plane with a potential soul mate?

Phillip: Go for it. Life is unpredictable.

Phillip and Floriana have no immediate plans to move in with each other. Both are confident that if they keep enjoying each moment together, whether that’s during a visit or over FaceTime, they will figure it out when the time comes.