Once the ‘holy grail’ of frisky airline passengers the world over, it seems South Africans are cottoning on to the idea of the Mile High Club according to a recent survey by online travel booking website,  Travelstart.
 
The results reveal the latest trends in airborne romantic encounters, and are surprising. Of the more than 7 000 participants, 6% have no qualms admitting they are a member of the Mile High Club with the ‘winning’ province being Limpopo, where nearly 10% of respondents are members.
 
Most surprising is that 25% of female respondents over the age of 75 said they were members of this exclusive club, while no men in the same age group were members. The earliest reports of the Mile High Club can be traced to 1916.
 
A further 40% of male passengers admitted that they had tried and failed as opposed to 23% of women.
 
The survey also found that 24% of South African passengers had never heard of the Mile High Club, with 42% of women saying it was not for them compared with 32% of men.
 
Data analysts at Travelstart concede the survey results might be skewed, putting it down to men ‘fibbing’ about their sexual conquests at 30 000 feet and women not being as forthcoming as their male counterparts.
 
The research also revealed the South African provinces home to the passengers least likely to strike up a romance while travelling. Those from KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape are least likely to indulge (43% and 44% respectively) while many respondents from the Northern Cape and North West Province had not heard of the Mile High Club (47% and 36% respectively). However, adults from Gauteng aged 35 to 44 are the most likely candidates for in flight shenanigans with 48% of the survey participants stating they were proud members.