market . With the nation in the thick of recession , she scooped up bargains for herself . She carried her trendy purchases through the airport that day on her return home to Charlotte , North Carolina . Wearing a sweater dress , tights and boots , the woman with stylish sandy brown curls was getting a bite to eat when a group of guys asked if she was a model . `` No , '' she said . `` But I am in the fashion industry . '' She was traveling with five Belk co-workers . Waiting to board , she fired off e-mails and thought little of the flight home or those around her . Ben -- who was in New York for a quick business trip for Lending Tree -- caught a glimpse of the 5-foot , 10-inch knockout near the gate . Later , when they boarded , he noticed her again , coming down the aisle . `` The first thought I had was it 'll be cool if she sits beside me . '' He was in 20A , a window seat on the left side of the plane . She sat down three
Charlotte , North Carolina -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Laura Zych never liked birds . Ben Bostic feared drowning . They faced their fears when US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese and crash-landed in the Hudson River . They were strangers on January 15 , 2009 , when they boarded the fateful flight that would become known as the `` Miracle on the Hudson . '' A year later , they 're in love . `` The first time people meet you , they want to hear the sensational part '' of the crash , says Ben , 39 . He prefers to talk about something different : `` I met this wonderful girl because of what we went through that day . '' Laura , 31 , looks at him , batting her model-like lashes , and smiles . `` We do n't dwell on what happened to us in the crash , '' she says . `` It 's more so on the experiences and lessons that we 've taken from it . '' ` Is this really happening ? ' A buyer for Belk department stores , Laura was in New York for the fashion