Is it illegal to be in the Mile High Club?

It's not illegal to join the Mile-High Club in an airplane bathroom ? but that doesn't make it a good idea. Image courtesy of Shutterstock. The most obvious ? and legal ? place to join the Mile-High Club is an airplane lavatory.



While "joining the Mile High Club" is not a specific criminal offense in and of itself, the acts required to do so often fall under broader laws regarding public indecency or disorderly conduct. Most countries, including the U.S. and the UK, classify an aircraft cabin—including the lavatory—as a public space. Engaging in sexual activity in a plane bathroom can technically lead to charges of "indecent exposure" or "lewd acts in public." However, the most common way people get into legal trouble is by failing to follow crew member instructions. If a flight attendant asks you to stop or leave the lavatory and you refuse, you are violating federal aviation laws regarding "interfering with a flight crew," which is a serious felony that can result in arrest upon landing and massive fines. In 2026, with increased cabin surveillance and "zero-tolerance" policies for disruptive behavior, most airlines will ban passengers for life if they are caught, even if local police choose not to file formal criminal charges.

People Also Ask

It's not illegal to join the Mile-High Club in an airplane bathroom — but that doesn't make it a good idea. Image courtesy of Shutterstock. The most obvious — and legal — place to join the Mile-High Club is an airplane lavatory.

MORE DETAILS

For $995, guests get flown around for 45 minutes on one of its two planes — and are encouraged to make the most of their time in the air. Afterwards they receive a commemorative membership card signed by their pilot. Customers can also upgrade to a 60-minute flight for $1,095 or a 90-minute flight for $1,495.

MORE DETAILS

Over 10 percent of people who decide to join the Mile High Club get caught. Out of those who did get caught, 14 percent were caught by fellow passengers and the rest were caught by staff.

MORE DETAILS

So in a situation where a passenger had barricaded themselves inside the lavatory, the Maître de Cabine would notify the pilot of the situation and then proceed to open the door. If the passenger persisted in being non-compliant with the crew's orders, the plane would be landed and police would arrest the passenger.

MORE DETAILS

In commercial aviation, a red-eye flight refers to a flight that departs at night and arrives the next morning, especially when the total flight time is insufficient for passengers to get a full night's sleep. Nighttime at Venice Marco Polo Airport. The term derives from red eyes as a symptom of fatigue.

MORE DETAILS

Pilots can drink after a flight as long as they are completely done for the day and aren't inside the window of not drinking for the following day. FAA requires 8 hours from bottle to throttle. Some company rules are more restrictive. 10 or 12 hours before any assigned duty is common.

MORE DETAILS

No, airplanes (commercial aviation) do not have cameras in the bathrooms, or as they are called, “lavatories”. That would be illegal. If your finger, “touches” the reflection of your finger, it only means that there isn't a layer of thick glass over the reflective material.

MORE DETAILS

Aircraft Bunk Rest/Sleep for Pilots The same two pilots are at the controls for take-off and landing whilst the other pilot(s) will take control for other segments of the flight to given the other pilots an opportunity to sleep.

MORE DETAILS

According to USA Today, the common cruising altitude for most commercial airplanes is between 33,000 and 42,000 feet, or between about six and nearly eight miles above sea level. Typically, aircraft fly around 35,000 or 36,000 feet in the air. To put that in perspective, the peak of Mount Everest measures 29,029 feet.

MORE DETAILS