The New York Times-20080129-Prowling the Skies in Search of Ringless Fingers

Return to: The_New_York_Times-20080129

Prowling the Skies in Search of Ringless Fingers

Full Text (590  words)[Author Affiliation] By Janis Spindel, as told to Joan Raymond. E-mail: [email protected].

I LOVE traveling, especially when someone else is paying for it.

I'm not a recruiter for a Fortune 500 company. I'm a professional matchmaker and have been since founding my company in 1993. I deal only with male clients. And on recent trips to Vancouver, Boston, Charlotte and Seattle, more than 1,000 women showed up in each city to meet with me and to see if they qualified to be matched with one of my men.

I'm always scouting for people. I've found that airports and airplanes are great hunting grounds. In fact, I met my first boyfriend at an airport.

I find people wherever I go and don't miss an opportunity when I see someone I think might be right for my database. Whether I'm at a restaurant, a play or sitting in an airplane, I will start a conversation with anyone, anywhere, anytime. That person may turn out to be a perfect client. Or the perfect woman for one of my clients.

My clientele are investment bankers, lawyers, professional athletes and entrepreneurs. They are all very successful, fabulous and picky. They know what kind of qualities they want in a woman, and they hire me to find their perfect partner. It often takes me just a week or two to match a client with the right person. My success rate speaks for itself; so does my sixth sense. In the last 15 years, I've been responsible for more than 800 marriages and 1,000 more couples have entered into long-term, committed relationships.

I fly first or business class. But I'll walk up and down the entire plane scouting people. I did meet a man in coach who turned out to be a gazillionaire. He just likes to fly economy.

Many people I approach are impressed by my gutsiness. I was in Phoenix recently, preparing to board a flight to Los Angeles. I saw an extremely handsome man walking through the airport carrying multiple tennis rackets. I chased him down. I tracked another fellow through baggage claim and literally ran up to him at the rental car area. I was out of breath, but interviewed him on the spot.

My approach is straightforward. First, I'll check out the ring finger. If there's no ring, I'll say something flattering. Of course, a man's initial thought is that I'm hitting on him. I consider these meetings pre-dates. I can usually find out more about someone in five minutes than most people can in three months. Most men are receptive, though some find it amusing they spent the flight talking to a happily married matchmaker.

I often think that airport bars may not be the best place to meet people. I don't see a lot of talking. Most are focused on their travels.

But you never know. Fate can step in. I was flying to Toronto recently and saw a guy on the flight I wanted to meet. But I didn't get a chance to talk to him. As fate would have it, he was on the return flight later that day. I didn't waste one minute. He's now a client.

So strike up a conversation with someone. You never know. And if you see a woman cruising the airplane aisles, checking you out, don't be afraid. It's not the air marshal. It's probably me.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Janis Spindel in Grand Central Terminal. She is the founder of Janis Spindel Serious Matchmaking Inc. in New York. (PHOTOGRAPH BY G. PAUL BURNETT/THE NEW YORK TIMES)