The Mile High Club is over 100 years old. The very first couple to try it were using a Curtiss Flying Boat C‑2 off Long Island. The woman was cheating on her husband who was serving abroad in World War I. They managed to disengage the autopilot while engaged in their congress, sending the plane into the water. They were found naked by duck hunters.

Now passengers use the lavatory. Virgin Atlantic once claimed they had to replace baby changing tables as a result. (Really they were just trying to suggest their flights are so awesome people have sex on them, the claim about the baby changing tables was likely apocryphal.)

Inflight coupling doesn’t usually go that far, but it does happen all the time. Earlier this year I witnessed what may have been a world record hookup in the air, introduction-to-couple on a 140 mile Austin – Houston United flight.

World record inflight hookup: 2B helps 2A her stow her bag in Austin. She tells him about her kids and shows him her Priority Pass and Amex Platinum. They held hands for descent into Houston. A new couple is @United. #love #upintheair

— gary leff (@garyleff) May 6, 2018

One new study argues that 1 in 50 people find love on an airplane. And if you take the survey as correct the way it’s being reported that would mean that on an Emirates high density Airbus A380 without first class (615 seats) twelve people are falling in love per flight. And if you assume two people per couple (don’t assume!) that would be six new couples on each segment.

In fact the survey of 2,150 people across 141 countries (and a companion survey of 6000 people) doesn’t suggest that 1 in 50 people actually meet someone on each flight, the questioning doesn’t appear that specific or verified. It seems thinking it could happen on a plane may be enough, and certainly not on every flight but rather across all of their flights.

It’s not that 2% of passengers are hooking up on each high density American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX (though the airline’s Project Oasis does promote closeness!). Instead I think it just tells us that two percent of flyers are optimists.

The piece by HSBC finds “one in seven fliers makes a lasting friendship while flying while 16% add a new business connection to their network.” And,

• 48% oppose passengers taking off their shoes. I just think we shouldn’t have to see male toes, and that feet don’t belong on seats or bulkheads and you really shouldn’t clip your toenails in public.

• 65% are bothered when passengers are rude to flight attendants. What is wrong with the other 35???

• 37% are frustrated with other passengers hogging overhead bins, but their frustration should be with airlines who incentivize passengers to bring everything onboard and then don’t provide large enough overheads.

• 32% think other passengers shouldn’t use the arm rest so that they can. What would Kant say about that?

• Other pet peeves are people falling asleep on their should and snoring.

Some people like to talk to strangers on a plane and others do not. Those that do get something out of it — the chance of a connection of some kind — and those that don’t get something out of it too, peace and quiet, as long as there’s no baby crying, no one falling asleep on you or intruding into your personal space, and you’re not getting hit on by your seatmate.