Cheapflights.com would never condone doing anything illegal. Our guide to the mile-high club is only meant for educational purposes ?✈
What is the mile-high club?
Even if you would never consider a romantic romp in-flight, or getting it on in the bathroom of a Boeing 747 isn’t your style, the idea of the mile-high club may have crossed your mind. Model Chrissy Teigen claimed in “Cosmopolitan” that she has done it, and actors Gwyneth Paltrow and Johnny Depp said they are also members on an episode of “Ellen.”
Joining the infamous mile-high club is a bucket-list item for those who hope to take their love to new heights (or at least be able to say they did it). Having sex in-flight at least one mile above the ground is the agreed-upon prerequisite required to join the aptly named mile-high club. MileHighClub.com defines it as “two people engaging in sexual activity… at an altitude of no less than 5,280 feet (a mile high above the earth) in an airplane.”
According to Cheapflights.com’s American Romance on the Road survey, some 33 percent of American fliers are interested in pursuing membership (43 percent of men vs. 22 percent of women). And, as for those who can say they have done it, 9 percent of men and 2 percent of women claim to have met those risque requirements.
However, the legal repercussions are very real. If you don’t believe us, just ask Carl and Dawn of U.S. v. Carl Warren Persing and Dawn Elizabeth Sewell. That said, there are ways to experience mile-high romance without it resulting in a criminal record.
Curious? Well, first you’ll have to find a flight at Cheapflights.com, then read on for more info on what this exclusive sky-high club is all about.
What to know about the mile-high club
- Night moves: Red-eye and international overnight flights are the most popular among mile-high members for obvious reasons – the cabin lights are dimmed, there are pillows and blankets and most of the passengers and some crew are asleep.
- First class is a home run: Sitting in business or first class? Chances are there may be more mile-high opportunists. Not only are the bathrooms and seats bigger, but some seats even lie flat. Etihad has The Residence, a three-room suite, Air New Zealand has Skycouches for cuddling, and Singapore Airlines actually had to ask passengers who settled into their double bed “suites” to stop having sex in them.
- Double trouble: Flying on a double-decker A380? This newer fleet offers more spacious bathrooms which may attract wannabe mile-high club members.
What you already know
- Airline bathrooms, while a popular spot for mile-high club meetings, are notoriously filthy despite the best intentions of airline crew and commercial cleaners.
- Bathrooms are small, on average a three-foot-by-three-foot space with barely enough room to fit two people comfortably.
- While the bathroom (or the ultra luxe “apartments”) may seem private, they’re not soundproof.
What you should know
- Lavatory doors can be unlocked from the outside.
- Flight attendants can almost always tell when passengers are attempting to join the mile-high club (this Reddit thread proves it).
- There are serious legal consequences. Doing the deed in your seat, getting nailed for indecent exposure, or getting caught getting it on in the bathroom could put you and your partner in handcuffs, which is likely not the kind of sightseeing you had in mind, not to mention jail time and possible felony charges.
The easy (and legal) way to membership
Curious about copulating at cruising altitude without breaking the law?
Airlines like Cincinnati, Ohio-based Flamingo Air and Las Vegas-based Love Cloud offer a legal way to explore this risque business without the risky business.
Flamingo Air offers a 60-minute “Romantic Adventure” complete with Champagne, chocolates and privacy to join the mile-high club for $475.
Love Cloud offers daytime tours of Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lake Meade and the Las Vegas strip, as well as night flights of fancy over Las Vegas. The company has flown more than 300 flights with the motto “What Happens Over Vegas Stays Over Vegas.” Once airborne, passengers are free to move about the cabin on 30-, 45-, 60-, or 90-minute flights. The Cessna 421 has even been retrofitted with a foam mattress and a sound and light system to set the mood. There’s also a door between the cockpit and the couple, wireless Bluetooth Sound System to play music at a high level to drown out any unwanted noise and the pilot wears sound-canceling headphones, so your secret rendezvous is safe with him or her. Flights cost $799 to $1,399.
Would you ever join the mile-high club? Share (if you dare) in the comments.
Main image: iStockPhoto/vchal
