To The Center

Is joining the ‘mile high club’ something on your bucket list? Head over to Cincinnati where Flamingo Air can make membership a reality.

It started when pilots at Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport challenged one of their own that he couldn’t find a couple to pay for a sex-approved flight.

Twenty-one years later and Flamingo Air has given thousands of customers ‘flights of fancy,’ offering a truly unique experience.

“I have had a high heel in my ear once, been shot in the back of the head with a champagne cork, and thank God we wear headsets,” said “Captain” Dave MacDonald, speaking with WCPO.

“What goes on behind the curtain is no concern of our ours. It is a matter of professionalism, our customers expect that. If I ever wrote a book it would be great,” MacDonald said.

With such a small plane, ”People get creative,” McDonald said. The airline supplies a cushioned love seat, champagne glasses and a box of chocolates. The rest is up to the passenger.

“We play up the romance, it is not the down and dirty let’s have sex on an airplane, it is the romance of it, and that is why we get the champagne and chocolates,” co-owner Sharon McGee said.

Clearly they’re catering to an unmet demand. A recent study says that 95 percent of fliers want to become members of the mile high club. Flirting at 35,000 feet is becoming a new way to meet a potential partner. With hours stuck next to the same person, 45 percent of study participants admitted to flirting on a flight with 20 percent saying they had sex on a plane. Half of those incidents were with a planemate.

While Flamingo Air isn’t the way to meet someone, it may be a good way to share a special moment or join a very prestigious club. McDonald told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he doesn’t know of any other airlines offering the service. Venturing outside the Mile High Club, McDonald said they have also held two weddings on board.

For $425, you can buy an hour up in the air and the secrecy of the crew. The airline takes up to eight flights a day.