There’s nothing like airport love to keep you grounded.
John F. Kennedy International Airport has been snubbed in a new survey of the country’s “most romantic airports”– but several New Yorkers who’ve met the love of their life at the transit hub are rushing to its defense.
“JFK is a romantic airport!” Diana Tyson, 64, of Massapequa, who met her husband, Chris, at the airport told The Post. “While waiting at the gate, you strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you — I’ve seen it plenty of times.”
The Jamaica Bay airfield only came in No. 22 out of 100 competitors, beating out both LaGuardia and Newark airports by miles, but handily losing to the winner Palm Beach International and runner up Orlando International, DatingAdvice.com revealed this week.
The survey somehow found places such as Southwest Florida International in Fort Meyers and Charlotte’s Douglas International to be more romantic than JFK — despite it being a shooting location for more than 50 movies, including rom coms and even a James Bond flick.
The low ranking, though, fails to account for people like Diana and her husband Chris.
The pair’s high-flying meet cute came while they were both working for KLM Dutch Airlines at JFK in 1983.
Chris’ position at the Special Services Department, which involved transporting VIP passengers to their terminal, took him all across JFK, but he always found an excuse to stop at the ticketing office and visit Diana.
It took two years and three tries before Diana accepted Chris’ invitation to dinner.
“The most I ever did [to woo a lady] by the way!” Chris recalled.
Diana initially wanted to keep their romance below the radar.
“I always wanted to work at the airport. My dad worked at the airport also and we watched the planes take off. The old JFK had these beautiful fountains and beautiful chapels and we just spent the Sunday walking around. So I said, ‘I don’t want to jeopardize my job for some guy!’” she said.
The early days of their romance saw the young couple conspire a secret code — 225 — which they would use on their work radios so they could meet in private.
They stole secret lunches together at the TWA Hotel before it was transformed into the Instagram-worthy hotspot it is today.
After seven months, Chris and Diana became engaged. They tied the knot in May 1986 and welcomed their daughter, Alyssa, two years later.
KLM remained a focal point of the Tyson’s relationship for decades. Both stayed employed with the airline until their retirements, though Chris’ career took him through multiple sectors, including as a computer specialist.
They also forged lifelong relationships with other couples who met at the airport, estimating they knew at least ten pairs who owed their romances to JFK.
What makes JFK more special than other airports is how many people from all walks of life pass through the international hub, the couple said.
For David Sussman and Elyse Erlich, however, JFK is the No. 1 spot for love.
It was nothing short of fate when the couple met at the same Aeromexico gate in 1993 to take their own solo vacations to Cancún.
Erlich made the first move by asking him to watch over her tennis rackets while she made a call at the payphone.
“He was sitting there very comfortably and counting his pesos out in the public in this airport at the gate. I think I can trust this man. He looked like he was honest,” Elrich laughed.
“I also happened to notice he had big blue eyes. My dad had blue eyes and I’m a sucker for blue eyes.”
The short introduction turned into hours of conversation — Erlich invited Sussman to sit next to her on the plane when she realized the seat was open, and the two made plans to continue their date throughout what was supposed to be their solo vacations.
Over the next few days, the pair went fishing, enjoyed dinners and lounged on the beach together. Erlich even helped sneak Sussman into her exclusive Club Med resort thanks to the help of a kind member who was willing to briefly part with his pass.
On their fairytale trip, the new couple realized they lived within spitting distance, with only Central Park separating their homes — Erlich lived on East 91st and Sussman on West 86th.
Before they even returned to New York City, Sussman had already told his mother that he had “met his wife.”
“Part two romantic story: we actually got engaged at JFK,” Sussman said.
Sussman proposed nine months later as they waited for their plane to Puerto Rico. Erlich knew the proposal was coming, but was nervous the ring would go overboard if he carried out his initial plan of popping the question on a cruise, they laughed.
They tied the know in April 1995 and moved to Westchester not long after, where they raised their two children.
In the front room of their home, nestled with Erlich’s forest of plants, lies a souvenir of their Mexico trip — a miniature lizard popping out of an egg that they were forced to buy after they accidentally broke it in the shop.
As low as JFK was rated, it still didn’t get snubbed as had as the New York area’s other two airports, as LaGuardia came in a lowly 72nd and Newark came in 85.
