Let's get the boring details out of the way before we get to the airport-bathroom sex.
When I'm waiting for a delayed flight, I head straight for the nearest Vino Volo and crack open my laptop to catch up on work (or all those longreads I saved months ago).
Most Americans, according to a recent survey by flight-shopping website Jetcost, are on the same page, drinking and crossing tasks off their to-do lists.
According to the survey, 67% of respondents who have free time at the airport spend it grabbing a drink and/or food, 54% go shopping in the terminal, 41% play games on their phones or other devices, 39% watch TV shows or movies, 25% read, and 11% check their email. (4,915 Americans who had flown at least once in the past two years answered the survey, The Washington Post reports.)
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But 10% of travelers aren't content leafing through People and catching up on email. One out of 10 fellow Americans finds something about airports to be a turn-on — is it the heady possibility of picking up all sorts of bacteria while your butt rubs up against the cold bathroom-stall door? Is it the endorphin rush of being about to get on a plane and fly far away? Hey, you do you (or someone else, in this case).
It's actually not too surprising that people prefer departure-gate sex over the mile-high club (10% versus 8%), given that, for many of us, airplane bathrooms are extremely uncomfortable to pee in, much less relax enough to be able to orgasm. Where do they go to get it on? 42% prefer the bathrooms, while 28% sneak into the "storage cupboards" (janitor's closet?), 14% have done it "under a coat," and 12% take advantage of their VIP-lounge privileges.
Airports aren't known for being super-private, so we also weren't too surprised to learn that 17% of those who partook have been caught by airport staff. But for some, that might have been the point. Also, the airport isn't quite the random-hookup hot spot you may expect it to be after reading these stats: 87% stuck with their partner — although 5% found a sexy stranger. The next survey should focus on how most of these travelers find their hookups: Is it through good old-fashioned Tinder? Or perhaps over a tasting flight at Vino Volo?