Woman shoots her shot mid-flight with a note to a ‘cute guy’. She never expected what came next
Take notes!
Everyone has at least once had an airport crush. You’re mid-flight, the cabin lights are dimmed, and you spot a total stranger. And somehow, they make a three-hour layover in Brisbane seem like a romantic comedy.
But most of us just stare at our seatback screens and wonder “what if.” Surprisingly, this Australian woman decided to take the leap and it paid off. Isabella Duric (@belleduric) is going viral after sharing her bold strategy for shooting her shot at 30,000 feet. And the internet can’t decide if it’s iconic or a total nightmare.
In a video that has since sparked a massive debate across TikTok, Duric revealed how she spotted a “cute guy” while boarding her Virgin Australia flight. But instead of waiting for a meet-cute at the baggage claim that might never happen, she grabbed a piece of paper and got to work.
Duric decided to shoot her shot (literally) mid-flight
Duric told her viewers that after she spotted the guy, she “told the girls about it in a Snapchat.” She also said, “Imagine I send a note to the guy” and immediately, her friends dared her to do it. The move was simple, tactical, and incredibly public. Duric wrote a note that read: “Hey, add my number,” followed by her Instagram and Snapchat handles.
She then handed that note to her friend, who scrunched the note and threw it towards the guy. But, Duric revealed, “It bounced off the window and landed near his seat. But he thought it was for someone else and didn’t read it.” That was a bummer.
“Moments later, the looming second-hand embarrassment washed over me when he didn’t even glance at the letter we had thrown his way. It was one of those cringe moments where you just wish you could disappear from the situation.”
Duric did not give up and it paid off
After the guy conveniently ignored the note, Duric and her friends moved to plan B. They typed a note on their phone in all-caps and bright yellow font that read, “OPEN THE NOTE.” They flashed it in the guy’s direction and bingo, he noticed it this time.
In a world of sterile swiping and ghosting, Duric’s move feels like a throwback to a pre-digital era, albeit one filmed for millions of viewers. Luckily, she didn’t have to face embarrassment the second time. The cute guy ended up texting Duric after the flight, and she showed the text to her viewers:
“Hey Isabella, I’m Lachie the dude you threw a note at haha how are you. Didn’t have internet on the plane to add you unfortunately.”
Everyone wanted an update, and Duric gave one right on time
Virgin Australia’s official TikTok account also jumped into Duric’s comments, telling her, “We’re on the edge of our seats.” While some passengers might find a mid-flight solicitation a bit much, the airline seemed more than happy to play Cupid.
Duric soon spoke to AU News and told them that she and Lachie exchanged texts for a while after he added her. It went on for a few days, but it did not turn out to be a fairytale romance. But Duric says it’s fine. “Everything is meant to happen for a reason and it was also a bit of a running joke (about my airport crushes). I am seeing someone else now,” she said.
While many were motivated by Duric to pursue their own crushes next time, the skeptic side of the internet also jumped in.
The polarized reaction to Duric’s bold mid-flight move
As the story made its way from TikTok to major outlets like the New York Post, the feedback split down the middle. On one side, there were those cheering for her bravery and on the other were those who would rather jump out the emergency exit.
“This is so bold, I could never. I need an update immediately!” one supporter wrote, living vicariously through the chaos. “Imagine being stuck in a seat after rejecting someone and knowing they’re staring at the back of your head from 15A,” a skeptic countered.
Many also pointed out the trap element of airplane dating. Unlike a bar or a coffee shop, the recipient of a mid-flight love note has literally nowhere to go. If the guy wasn’t interested, he was stuck in a metal tube with his admirer for the duration of the flight. And that is enough to make any introvert break out in a cold sweat.
At the end of the day, Duric at least proved that romance is not dead or confined to apps. Whether or not Duric and her cute guy ended up as a success story, she managed to turn a standard domestic flight into a viral event.
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