how safety works

Gatecrush puts you in front of people who happen to be waiting in the same terminal as you. That only works if the app is careful with the two things that actually matter at an airport: where you'll be standing, and who gets to decide whether you meet. Here is how both are handled.

Your gate and flight stay private until you share them

A gate plus an exact boarding time is enough to work out which flight you're on and where you'll be standing, so neither is ever on your card. Other travelers see your photo, first name, age, what you're here for, your “ask me about” line, and a rounded “boards in about an hour” — never your gate, your destination, or your real boarding time. Matching doesn't change that: a match unlocks a chat, not your flight. You reveal the details with one tap, per match, to one person, and you never have to.

Share any meet-up with a friend

When a meet-up is suggested in a chat, there's a share with a friend button on it. It opens your phone's normal share sheet with who you're meeting, where, at which airport, at what time, and a link to their photo — so somebody who isn't at the airport knows exactly who you're sitting down with. Nothing about that is stored here; it's a message you send, to whoever you choose.

Everyone agrees to the same four lines

There's one screen you can't skip on the way in: meet in public areas of the terminal, one no is final, if someone leaves you don't follow, and never ask what flight someone's on — they'll share it if they want to. It's short because short things get read, and everyone who has ever checked in has agreed to it.

Coffee & chat is the default, and you choose who sees you

Coffee & chat is what a new profile is set to. Dating is something you have to go and pick, and someone who picked it is only shown to people who picked it too. Separately from all that, you say who you'd like to see — women, men, or everyone — and that filter works in both directions, whichever mode you're in. It's a private setting: nobody is told what you chose.

Block, report, and hidden after three

Every chat has block and report behind the ⋯ menu. Blocking is instant and mutual — you disappear from each other's decks for good. A profile reported by three different travelers is hidden from every deck automatically, without waiting for anyone to review it.

Profiles vanish when you board

Your profile is only visible in the 4 hours before your boarding time, when you're actually in the terminal. A trip you set for a future day is registered and counted but shown to nobody until that window opens, so no one can browse where you'll be next week. Once your boarding time passes you're out of every deck, and the chats close.

Why I built this

I built Gatecrush because I love traveling, and meeting others who are on their own journey has led to some of the best times in my life. Now, granted, I am a man — and when I pitched this idea to a friend's girlfriend, she brought up all the different ways this app could be abused or misused by bad actors. If there's something you think I can do to make this app a safer place for everyone, please contact me: safety@gatecrush.app