Women the stars of Mile High Club
THE exclusive Mile High Club — the tongue-in-cheek name given to airline passengers who have enjoyed coitus while in the air — dates back almost a 100 years.
So it is perhaps not surprising that more than 25% of women older than 75 — those who lived through World War 2— have admitted in an online survey to being members of the unofficial club.
So says online travel agency Travelstart, which did a survey among more than 7 000 South Africans to find out how many have slipped into a toilet cubicle for some entertainment other than the in-flight offering.
Women were also more open to reveal their membership of the club — more than 50% admitted it compared with 48% of men.
The most surprising result showed that 25% of female respondents over the age of 75 said they had had sex on a plane, whereas no men in the same age group had even tried it. Other results showed that:
KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape are the least likely provinces for in-flight romances;
The results might be skewed because men might have been fibbing about their sexual conquests
Most passengers from the Northern Cape and North West admitted that they did not even know about the club; and
Gauteng adults aged between 35 to 44 were the most likely to give it a go.
Travelstart said the route between Johannesburg and Cape Town, one of the 10 busiest in the world, was the preferred route for in-flight romps.
‘‘This could mean an increase in the number of ‘flings’ experienced by single passengers travelling for business,” the survey said.
Data analysts, however, conceded that the results might be skewed because men might have fibbed about their sexual conquests.
Some airline companies are getting in on the act. Virgin America has launched a “Get Lucky at 50 000 feet” campaign and US airline Flamingo Air Inc offers a Mile High Club flight with a private curtained aircraft complete with champagne, chocolate and a very discreet pilot to set the mood.
Hein Kaiser, spokesman for local airline Mango, said: ‘‘Mango’s sectors are quite short, so amorous activities on board are limited by the clock.
‘‘Guests who wish to claim membership of the Mile High Club must bear in mind that aircraft toilets are confined spaces and the only illegal aspect would be to enjoy a cigarette afterwards.”