Air New Zealand arranges "Blind Gate" airport dating show on Valentines day

There's a new gameshow in town.. At the airport. Dubbed Blind Gate, the dating show will give two singletons the chance to find their perfect match from five contestants during a live show at the Heathrow check in. They’ll navigate three rounds of romantically themed challenges before they are whisked off to enjoy a long weekend in sun soaked Los Angeles, all expenses paid.

Claudia Winkleman hypes the "Blind Gate" show that is created live at Heathrow... "One.. watch us, I'll promise it'll be a laugh. Two.. take me with you..."

You see, all this is simply hyping Air New Zealand. En route to LA the couples will be able to "get up close and personal on Air New Zealand’s revolutionary Economy Skycouch™ with leg rests that fold 90 degrees to form a flat couch-like space." Seriously. That's the point.

John Wilhelm, Brand Manager for Western markets at Air New Zealand says: “We’ve been flying between London and LA for more than 30 years but travelers don’t naturally think of Air NZ when it comes to this route. Our on-board experience makes hopping on a flight for a LA, even for a long weekend a cinch and Blind Gate is an innovative way of of spreading the word.”

I've actually flown Air New Zealand between London and LA and can vouch for it being one of the best airlines out there on this route, and the only reason I let British Airways in on my top ten list is because the cabin crew are snappy smartarses who know how to mix bloody marys (hint: Worcestershire sauce! Take note, German airlines!)

Now, the extra cute touch here is that the show was filmed live at Heathrow on Valentines day. Tomorrow you can check out the first episode at the Guardian. You know that paper, it's the one that creates epic entertaining ads like three little piggies and Guardian and Observer Weekend™.