15-07-2025
Flight attendant reveals what really happens if you get caught trying to join the 'mile high club'
A former flight attendant has lifted the lid on one of the most taboo topics in the aviation industry: what really happens when passengers are caught trying to join 'the mile high club'.
Mandy Smith, who spent more than 12 years flying for Virgin Atlantic, recently sat down with LadBible in a YouTube Q&A to spill the secrets of life in the sky - including the consequences for passengers who attempt to get intimate mid-flight.
While the idea of having sex at 30,000 feet has long been glamourised in pop culture, the same couldn't be said for the reality, according to Mandy.
She said in the clip that airline staff are aware of attempts to join the mile high club - noting that the act happens on 'one in 20, or 30 flights' - and that they have ways of dealing with it.
Mandy also mentioned that flight attendants are trained to recognise when passengers planning to get intimate on board a flight, and will observe their behaviour either while using or heading to the lavatories.
If passengers are caught engaging in mile high activities in the toilet, flight attendants can remove the door - even if it's locked - to expose them.
She said: 'We can take those doors off, you know. Even though you've locked it, we can open them. And we can take the whole door.
'But no. I have stopped people, knocked on the door, and just said, "Excuse me, can you come out" kind of thing. Because I kind of know what you're doing.'
While this might seem harsh, Mandy admitted that on night flights, especially when there are no children around, they might turn a blind eye.
She added: 'It's worse when you've got children on board and it's in the daytime.'
For those wondering if there are any penalties or severe punishments in place for those caught in the act, an American criminal attorney revealed that depending on where the passengers have flown from or flying to, it can result in a criminal record.
Norm Pattis told Travel + Leisure that airplane sex could be considered a felony offence, but only if passengers are caught doing it in public - for example, in their seat, in front of other people.
