Original Saucy Dates research · 11,179 respondents
How to have sex on a plane? The mile high club survey
5% of respondents said they had had sex on a plane, while 78% said they would like to. Our international survey of 11,179 dating network members explored the gap between the mile high club fantasy and the experiences of people who reported joining it.
The story behind “how to have sex on a plane” turned out to be much more varied than a couple travelling together. Respondents described partners, strangers, friends and members of staff. We asked about locations, aircraft, airlines, time of day, duration and whether they had been caught. Those details made this one of our most distinctive research stories.
Our original message remains: there was considerable curiosity about the mile high club in our audience, but far fewer people reported actually having the experience. The figures, infographic and personal accounts below preserve that original story. This is a report of respondents’ experiences, not an airline approved guide or a prediction of what will happen on your next flight.
Headline statistics · Infographic · Who with? · Locations · Aircraft and airlines · Survey method · FAQs
11,179 people
An international survey across our dating network.
5% had done it
Respondents who said they had already had sex on a plane.
78% would like to
Respondents who selected interest in the experience.
What is the mile high club?
The mile high club is the informal name for people who have had sex aboard an aircraft in flight. It is a popular expression, not a formal membership organisation or a precise altitude requirement.
Our original introduction joked that the name understates the altitude of a cruising airliner. The more interesting question was what people meant by the experience: was it a planned encounter with a partner, an unexpected connection, or simply something they liked the idea of?
That is why we went beyond asking whether someone had done it. The follow up questions gave the story its detail, and revealed how different the reported experiences could be.
Mile high club statistics: the original infographic
Our infographic presents the findings in the style of an aircraft safety card. It is the original research graphic, retained for readers and journalists who continue to reference the story.
Embed this infographic on your website
Please credit Saucy Dates and link to this report so readers can see the full survey context.
Who did respondents have sex with on a plane?
A travelling partner was the largest individual category at 37%, but it did not account for a majority. The other categories together accounted for 63%, which explains the original story’s emphasis on encounters beyond couples travelling together.
| Reported companion | Published share |
|---|---|
| Partner | 37% |
| Stranger | 30% |
| Member of staff | 18% |
| Friend | 15% |
These figures describe the companion breakdown among reported experiences, not percentages of all 11,179 respondents.
Partners: the biggest individual group
37% reported being with a partner. Their comments included the idea of a shared fantasy or an experience they had discussed before travelling. These accounts explain part of the appeal, but they cannot tell us how typical those motivations were across all couples.
Strangers: an unexpected connection
30% reported an encounter with a stranger. This was one of the surprising findings in the original research. It describes respondents’ recollections, not the likelihood that the person sitting next to you is interested in an encounter.
Staff: one of the story’s biggest surprises
18% reported an encounter involving a member of staff. We had included that option because it was possible, but did not expect it to feature so strongly. The original comments included both staff passenger and staff staff accounts; 14% in the staff category reported being caught.
These are unverified participant accounts. They should not be read as evidence of how airline employees generally behave or as a reason to interpret professional friendliness as personal interest.
Friends: 15% of the breakdown
Friends accounted for the remaining 15%. The original report noted a higher reported rate of being caught in this group, although it did not publish a numerical figure in the article text. The suggestion that awkwardness might explain this was speculation, not something the survey established.
Where did respondents say it happened?
Aircraft toilets were the most frequently reported location, followed by seats. The original report also included claims involving galleys and a small cockpit category. These findings describe reported experiences; they are not recommendations for using shared or restricted areas.
| Reported location | Share of location breakdown | Reported caught within that category |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | 59% | 13% |
| Seats | 31% | 14% |
| Kitchen / galley | 9% | 21% |
| Cockpit | 1% | 27% |
The original analysis cross referenced cockpit claims with aircraft type, companion and comments. Many concerned private jets or light aircraft and were removed to keep the findings focused on commercial aircraft where possible. The resulting 1% was described as a best estimate, rather than independently verified evidence.
The two percentage columns have different bases. For example, 59% is the share of the location breakdown involving toilets; 13% is the reported caught figure within that category. Neither is a percentage of everyone who completed the initial survey.
Aircraft type: single aisle versus twin aisle planes
The published split was 55% for twin aisle aircraft and 45% for single aisle aircraft. The original model comparison put the Boeing 747 first, with little separating the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 behind it.
These were unweighted survey results. They did not account for fleet size, passenger numbers, route length, aircraft age or the number of journeys each respondent had taken. They therefore cannot establish that a particular model makes an encounter more likely.
The aircraft names belong to the original research period. We have retained the findings without turning them into current fleet information or booking advice.
Which airlines appeared in the survey?
Respondents also named airlines. The word cloud below preserves those original mentions. It is not a ranking of airline policy, passenger behaviour or the likelihood of joining the mile high club.
Our audience was predominantly from the USA and UK. Airline size, years in operation and that geographic mix could all influence the names mentioned. Some names in the original graphic were already historical, underlining that people were recalling past experiences rather than reporting activity on a single recent flight.
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Day flights versus night flights
68% of reported experiences took place at night and 32% during the day. Night therefore led this part of the survey, but the original report also noted that a higher percentage were caught at night.
That distinction matters: the more frequently reported setting was not necessarily the one with fewer reports of discovery. The original explanation that a quieter cabin might make an encounter more noticeable was a possibility, not a tested conclusion. The survey also did not adjust for how many day and night flights respondents had taken.
How long did respondents say it lasted?
The original report described ten minutes as the duration reported by the majority. The question specifically asked about intercourse, excluding foreplay. It did not publish a complete duration table or an exact percentage for the ten minute answer.
Our separate survey on how long sex lasts provides broader context on reported duration and expectations. The two stories involve separate survey samples, so they should not be treated as a controlled comparison of the effect of flying.
14% reported being caught
Across the reported experiences, 14% said they were caught and 86% said they were not. Some described being discovered by staff; others mentioned fellow passengers.
The original article called these comparisons a “risk factor”. More precisely, they are historical self reported outcomes. They cannot predict someone’s chances of being discovered, establish what consequences followed, or demonstrate that an activity was safe or permitted.
A shared aircraft is also a workplace and a public setting. Other passengers and crew have not agreed to be involved in someone else’s sexual experience. Follow crew instructions and respect other people’s privacy and boundaries.
Personal accounts from the original survey
The original story included the following adult respondents’ accounts. They are preserved as source material, rather than verified descriptions or advice. Some contain explicit language.
Read the original participant accounts
“Flight Attendant spilt a drink on my leg, said sorry I got up and walked to the bathroom. She was hot and gave me the look so I told her I could use some help with my pants and she unzipped me . . . . Next thing I know I have her bent over . . . . .”
“It was super fun, my crew friend and I had been wanting to do it for a long time and then we got the chance . . . . .”
“I overheard the stewardess talking to her friend, telling him that she hadn't had any sex and she broke up with her boyfriend and it had been a long time. I hit on her for a while and she finally asked me if we wanted to go in the bathroom and have sex. She told me there was no time for foreplay and to have it hard by the time I got in there . . . .”
“My girlfriend snuck in the bathroom first. I waited two minutes and then gave her a secret knock that we both had agreed on and she let me in, we got down to business . . .”
“It was night and everyone was asleep. We went to the back bathrooms. She went first and then I went back a minute later. No one even noticed. We spent about 15 mins in there, it was really fun thinking we could get caught at any moment. It was very exciting.”
“It was huge fun. I did it with the guy who was sat in the seat next to me. We had been chatting for a while and he just asked. We both carefully made our way to the bathroom, lucky the plane was dark as it was a night flight.”
“I over heard a woman sitting behind me a few seats back talking on her phone about the mile high club. I turned and smiled at her and she blushed as she didn't think anyone heard. Some time went by and I decided to go to the bathroom, everyone else was asleep or staring at their mobiles. As I stood up and turned to walk past her seat on my way to the bathroom. I winked and nodded towards the bathroom and went and waited a few minutes. I figured she wasn't coming and felt stupid for even thinking about it and when I opened the door she was standing there. I immediately pulled her close and started kissing her . . . . . ”
“The girl walked by me in the isle and she touched my shoulder, she had been giving me signs for an hour. I got up behind her, went to the toilet, looked around and walked in. I hiked my skirt up and sat on the sink while she finger f##ked me and licked my . . . . “
“It was something that I wanted to do and I saw an opportunity to finally nail a friend of mine! I knew that she could not resist this opportunity so i got her to follow me to the bathroom . . . . ”
“Going aboard with my scuba diving buddy, passion got the better of us and we dashed to the toilet. In a flash our hands were in each other's panties . . . . .”
“The toilet door was unlocked, I opened the door and saw a woman. She invited me in and took a photo to prove she was now a member of the mille high club!”
“I just went to the bathroom when one male attendant was looking at me seductively. He winked so I gave him a sweet smile and I gesture him to follow me to the bathroom. He had a huge . . . . . . .”
“Long flight to Dubai, we moved the armrest and shielded ourselves with blankets and it was awesome!”
“We managed to get three seats for the two of us. After a bit of warming up under the blankets, lay down as if to go to sleep and ended up f##king nice and slowly for a while . . .”
“We had booked the back seats on the flight, always try and get them. We got talking to one of the stewardesses, she was very flirty with my female friend, but she was not that way inclined....We got chatting and I told them both I would love to have sex on a plane, it has always been a fantasy of mine. The stewardess told us she has done it a few times in the past and loved the thought of getting caught. I asked the stewardess if she was interested in taking me back to the galley to have some fun with her. This is when my friend piped up and told me if it was going to happen then it was going to be with her, not the stewardess. To which the stewardess replied, if we wanted to go back she would draw the curtains, but with no guarantee that no one would find us. The rest they say, is history!”
“We both work the night shift and it was a spark of the moment kind of thing.”
“Threesome”
“My girlfriend came to the restroom while I was in there, knocked and I let her in, f##ked her. Just as we were ready to get out (5 minutes later), a flight attendant knocked and told us to return to our seats and never said anything else. However she did pull me aside at the gate when landed and said ‘never do it again’.”
“I was dating the air hostess but while going back home she wanted me to f##k her so we decided to take the risk and try it in bathroom but other staff ended up knocking on the door and we got caught.”
“I went to bathroom first, he followed. It was just getting good when someone knocked on door needing to use bathroom. We had no choice but to come out head high. I was laughing and still enjoyed myself”
How we conducted the mile high club survey
We surveyed an international audience of 11,179 people across our dating network. The initial “Sex on a plane…” question offered three responses: “Would like to”, “No way” and “Already done it”.
Those who said they had done it received follow up questions:
- Where did you have sex on a plane?
- Who was it with?
- Was it daytime or nighttime?
- How long did intercourse last, excluding foreplay?
- What was the airline name?
- What was the type of plane?
- Did you get caught?
- Were there any other comments?
We compared answers with the reported caught responses to describe differences between categories. Those follow up figures concern the people reporting an experience, not the entire initial survey audience.
This is historical, self reported research from a dating network audience, not a representative survey of airline passengers. The original article does not supply fieldwork dates, exact follow up sample counts or a full weighting method. Published percentages are retained as originally reported; we have not converted rounded percentages into invented respondent counts.
Mile high club survey: frequently asked questions
How many people said they had had sex on a plane?
5% of the 11,179 respondents said they had already done it. That is the result for this dating network sample, not a measured rate among all airline passengers.
How many wanted to join the mile high club?
78% selected “Would like to”. Together with the 5% who reported experience, that made 83% across those two responses in the survey. It does not mean 83% of passengers on a particular flight are interested.
Were most reported encounters with a partner?
A partner was the largest single category at 37%, but not a majority. Strangers accounted for 30%, staff for 18% and friends for 15%.
What was the most commonly reported location?
Toilets accounted for 59% of the published location breakdown, followed by seats at 31%, galleys at 9% and the estimated cockpit category at 1%.
Does the survey identify the best airline or aircraft?
No. Aircraft and airline mentions were not weighted for fleet size, passenger numbers or travel patterns. They record the original respondents’ claims, rather than establish a best option.
Are these newly collected statistics?
No. The original findings and graphics are preserved here with expanded explanation. This update does not represent new survey fieldwork.
Using this research in media coverage
This story has attracted media coverage and continues to be referenced. Journalists, producers and bloggers can use this page to find the original figures, infographic and survey context in one place.
Please credit Saucy Dates’ international survey of 11,179 dating network respondents and link to this report as the source. When citing the follow up results, make clear that they concern respondents who reported an experience. Please do not present the historical percentages as a new survey or as rates for all passengers.
For interviews, further information or a new survey for your story, contact us or visit the press kit.
The fantasy was more common than the experience
The lasting message of this research is the contrast between curiosity and experience: 78% wanted to, compared with 5% who said they had. Among those reporting experience, the variety of companions and circumstances made the story more surprising than a simple account of couples travelling together.
You will not find our infographic in the seat pocket as an official safety card. It remains a distinctive piece of Saucy Dates research into a much discussed fantasy and the stories people told us about it.
More original Saucy Dates research
Explore our sex at work survey, compare preferences for sounds and words during intimacy, or read the world’s best and worst lovers story. Find more on the Saucy Dates blog.