Have you ever wondered what the phrase mile high club’s meaning is? Read here for a complete guide, its definitions, and how to use it.

You might have heard the term mile high club and wondered what it meant. It’s a phrase that can have a variety of meanings in different contexts, but there is one meaning that dominates over all the others.

The phrase is a great example of how new phrases, metaphors, and euphemisms are created alongside advancements in technology and culture. As the world changes, so does language.

Today, let’s take a look into the meaning of mile high club. By the end of this article, you’ll have a complete guide to the phrase, where it comes from, and how to use it in your speech and writing.

What Is the Meaning of Mile High Club?

The phrase mile high club refers to an informal group of people who have had sexual intercourse on a plane. It’s not an actual exclusive club. Rather, it’s an unofficial group that a person “joins” once they have had sex in a plane while the plane is in transit.

The mile high club is a slang term that is mostly used as a joke. It should be noted that there is no actual organization by that name. The phrase is mostly used in jest to refer to people who have made love at altitude.

Most often, members of the mile high club engage in sexual activity in the lavatory on the plane. However, some have committed their sexual acts right in their seats, which is an act of public indecency that could lead to criminal charges.

What Is the Mile High Club’s Origin and History?

The euphemism mile high club has been used for over 50 years. One of the first recorded uses of the phrase was in 1968. The term was considered offensive back then, especially if a person would ask stewardesses or flight attendants about it.

The first person said to have joined the mile high club was Lawrence Sperry, a pilot and aircraft designer flying over New York in 1916. Notably, Sperry was also the inventor of the autopilot. The couple accidentally disengaged the autopilot during the act, and Sperry lost control of the aircraft, crashing the plane. He and his lover were rescued from the crash without any clothes on, claiming that the crash’s impact had thrown their clothes from them.

However, the term itself was not coined until much later. Today, the mile high club is somewhat of a bucket list item for many people. There are even services specifically devoted to helping people join, including a company in Las Vegas that provides plane rides with beds and private rooms.

Examples of Mile High Club in a Sentence

Below are some examples of how the term might be used in conversation or in writing.

Me and my girlfriend had sex on a Flamingo Air flight yesterday, so we have officially joined the mile high club.

My flight to New Zealand has private cabins to help passengers sleep, so it’ll be the perfect place for me to join the mile high club.

The best way to join the mile high club is to take a red-eye flight and then sneak back to the airplane bathroom while everybody else is asleep.

The Mile High Club Culture

Over the past few decades, the mile high club has become an increasingly popular and coveted club. Something about it being a forbidden act draws people to it.

People have several different tactics for successfully doing it without getting caught. Few people attempt to do it in their seats. Most go for the airplane bathroom strategy, but flight attendants are fairly vigilant because of how popular it has become and will likely catch anybody who attempts it.

According to a survey, about 5% of people have successfully joined the mile high club, but 78% are willing to. Remarkably, less than one-fifth of the people surveyed said they wouldn’t be interested at all.

Perhaps more surprising are the statistics on who people join the mile high club with. According to the survey, about 30% of mile high hookups happen between strangers. Also, 18% took place with a member of the crew. Only 37% of mile high hookups happened between partners.

The statistics also provide some insight into the strategies that mile high club members have used. Almost 60% of the time, mile high club meetings occur in the airplane bathroom, and 31% of people dared to attempt the act in their assigned seats.

Trying to get it on in coach might be difficult, but apparently, people have more success in business class or first class, where there is a bit more privacy.

In addition, almost 70% of the time, mile high club meetings happened on night flights instead of day flights. In particular, red-eye flights or long international flights that go through the night tend to be the best times to attempt to join.

According to Forbes, the best airlines to try are British Airways, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Emirates.

Again, many people who attempt to join are caught and charged with indecent exposure. Many are even arrested, so joining the mile high club is not recommended.

Conclusion

Now you have a complete guide to the phrase mile high club. You don’t have to worry about being confused about the phrase ever again. And you can also make sure that you don’t use it incorrectly, lest you put yourself in an awkward social situation.

If you ever need a refresher on this phrase or its history, come back to this article for more information.

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.