Famous people on your flight

[steveeeeeeeee]

I took an Easyjet flight to Berlin very early on Sunday morning. As I was waiting to board, R'n'B star Usher was literally ushered to the front of the queue. He sat in the front row of the plane, completely on his own.

I've been on planes before with famous people, but they've usually got a entourage of varying size depending on fame. I found it weird Usher was travelling alone and on Easyjet.

Anyway, here's my list of famous people I've flown with:

Mohamed Mounir (most famous singer in Egypt, and possibly Middle East - massive entourage of assistants on flight from Cairo to Dubai)
John Newman (British singer - had his whole team and band with him, flying from Tirana to London after a gig)
Usher

There might have been others, but I didn't recognise them.

[Mr Beast]

Famous people on your flight

The Krankie's, Stansted to Prestwick. Sadly not in costume.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Famous people on your flight

Robert Bathurst on an Easyjet flight from Gatwick to Berlin. Erm.... That's it.

[andrew7610]

Famous people on your flight

Easyjet (I think) from Gatwick to Barcelona a good few years back - Heather Small, but thankfully not Shovell. Talked loudly on the phone the entire flight, I'm told - I'm one of those 'sleep anywhere' types and air travel for me is mostly getting on an aircraft and then being woken up at our destination.

[sw2borshch]

Famous people on your flight

I went to meet my mate at Heathrow about twelve years ago off a flight from New Zealand via LAX and Boris Johnson got off before him.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Famous people on your flight

Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, Neve Campbell.

[caja-dglh]

Famous people on your flight

Beyonce - Dublin to New York. They made up a new international law preventing people going into business class from economy. More Louie Vuit bags than in the average LV store.

[ursus arctos]

Famous people on your flight

Once had the extreme displeasure of sitting directly behind Rudy Giuliani and his latest paramour from Malpensa to Newark.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Famous people on your flight

steveeeeeeeee wrote: There might have been others, but I didn't recognise them.

This is my favourite bit.

[Wouter D]

Famous people on your flight

KLM, January 2014, Buenos Aires to Amsterdam. All Dutch participants in the Dakar rally, including some truckers with a giant trophy and former speed skating world champion Rintje Ritsma.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Famous people on your flight

Platini on a Geneva to Liverpool flight...

[Third rate Leszno]

Famous people on your flight

Most recently I got on a BA flight at Zurich to find John Major sat in the front row - must've been taken out the tradesman's cos he wasn't in the queue at the gate.

Previously, Gordon Banks, Mark Noble, Gordon Taylor, and am American who was obviously a sports star but I've no idea who he was - big lad though!

[Uosdwis R Dewoh]

Famous people on your flight

Tobin Bell, on a nearly-empty flight. That was creepy.

[Sits]

Famous people on your flight

On an American Airlines flight back from Boston in 1997, Chuck Berry. He was wearing a very nice black cowboy shirt with diamond-y bits in it. Made no fuss.

In the days when he still inspired some awe, I came through passports on arrival in Sydney at the same time as Michel Platini.

Assorted Aussie national teams on their way to thrash other countries at various sports. Tracksuits and flip-flops standard attire.

On a bus from a local airport hotel to Heathrow one morning after a cancellation last year, on board with me were three members of the Irish ladies' golf team. One looked about 15 and was carrying a bag larger and apparently heavier than her.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Famous people on your flight

On a flight between Gaziantep and Istanbul the referee Bünyamin Gezer was sitting behind me. I'd been at the Gaziantepspor Konyaspor match he was officiating in.

On a flight between Istanbul and Hatay the squad of Bursa Nilüfer Belediyesi were on board heading to their match against Hatayspor. I went to that game too.

[Reed John]

Famous people on your flight

In Flight:
Sen Al Franken (D-MN) - at the time he was still fighting the run-off. From MSP to DCA

Michael Conforto's Grandmother. PHL to SCE

Sen Chuck Grassley (R-IA) From MSP to DCA, a different time

Some doctors who are very well-known in the field, but I know them, going to or coming from the same meeting I was.

Important people at the FDA. Going to or coming from the same meeting I was.

My 5th grade teacher who now makes a load of money selling sports gambling tips. From PHL to SCE.

At the airport but maybe not on my flight:
Willard Scott - The fat guy who wishes people happy 100th birthday on The Today Show. Or did. Did he die? Near the baggage check at IAD

Steve Levy - Used to do hockey pbp when ESPN had the NHL. Don't recall which airport.

Dr Ruth - Famous sex doctor. In the security line at BWI

Larry Johnson - Former NFL, Penn State, and State High running back and, sadly, complete asshole. Leaving SCE on a different flight.

Chris Carter - Former NFL receiver and current TV NFL commentator. Getting off a plane at DCA, as I recall.

Tom Ridge - Former governor of PA and first Secretary of Homeland Security. In the John at DCA.

John Lucas - Former NBA coach. I think it was in CLE during the time he was their coach. Pre-Lebron.

Bruce Hornsby - Pianist, song-writer, singer. Had some hits in the 80s with Bruce Hornsby & the Range. He and his extended family are from Williamsburg, VA and he once did a video on W&M's campus so I remembered him from that mainly. PHL in the middle of a a typical PHL overcrowded clusterfuck situation.

[Slightly Brown]

Famous people on your flight

Razor "Neil" Ruddock (between the two of us we drank the plane dry); and Jack White (technically it was the girl I was with who got bumped to business-class and sat next to him...who gets bumped to business-class and leaves their other half behind? It was the beginning off the end for me: can imagine what she'd have been like in a bar if Tom Hiddleston* had asked her to "join his table"? Pfff).

*Cuckolding tw@ that he is.

[Incandenza]

Famous people on your flight

Richard Simmons - shouty TV exercise guru on a flight from Seattle to LA.

[Janik]

Famous people on your flight

Not on a flight, but in the (half hour) queue to go through security at Geneva airport, it slowly dawned on me that the Woman in front looked familiar. At first I thought she reminded me of my mate, Ruth. But that didn't exactly fit, and then it clicked. I knew her face because she was Kim Clijsters. Her group was her, another Woman, and two children, probably Kim's own.

There is a priority aisle at Geneva security. It was empty. She wasn't bothering to use it. Given that, I'm guessing they also flew Economy. But not to London as we were doing.

[MsD]

Famous people on your flight

Slightly Brown wrote: Razor "Neil" Ruddock (between the two of us we drank the plane dry); and Jack White (technically it was the girl I was with who got bumped to business-class and sat next to him...who gets bumped to business-class and leaves their other half behind?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/husbands-who-always-fly-business-class-while-wives-travel-in-economy/

[Reed John]

Famous people on your flight

I've decided to stay single just in case the opportunity to sit next to Jack White ever arises.

I've also shelled out $70-$150 for a last minute upgrade. In retrospect, it was a waste of money, but at that moment, the thought of having my knee-caps jammed painfully for another minute just couldn't be bared. I don't care about any of the other perks. I'd be happy to sit on the floor for three hours. I just want leg and ass room.

[Janik]

Famous people on your flight

And at Zurich airport this year;
St. Gallen FC, who were clearly heading to a game. Likely a Swiss League one, given it was a Sunday morning. St. Gallen is a couple of hours by road from just about every other Swiss top division location isn't it? Pffft modern Football.
The Portugal national Futsal team. Who looked like they were heading home, so had a better reason to be flying.

I don't fly to Switzerland that often, btw. Maybe their airports just have a heavier celebrity density to them?

[Cal Alamein]

Famous people on your flight

In the mid-70s, Cat Stevens was on our flight from JFK to London. He was obnoxiously drunk.

Around 2000, the very distinguished John Cale was on a flight to Phoenix. Stylishly wearing a leather jacket and cut-off shorts.

[Slightly Brown]

Famous people on your flight

MsD wrote:

Razor "Neil" Ruddock (between the two of us we drank the plane dry); and Jack White (technically it was the girl I was with who got bumped to business-class and sat next to him...who gets bumped to business-class and leaves their other half behind?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/husbands-who-always-fly-business-class-while-wives-travel-in-economy/

“He doesn't like the chatter, hates that too many people are in close proximity and can't bear being crammed into his seat.”

Because the rest of us just fuqing love it. Ms D: would you stay with someone who did that?

That said, after a flight to OZ I had to buy a Chinese fella an apology-bottle of whisky because I spent the latter part of the flight passed out, lolling and mumbling into his crotch, so I can see why separation might be desirable. In my defense, I was on high-end medication and was genuinely mortified. I can still see the look on his face as I awoke though. The horror.

[MsD]

Famous people on your flight

Of course I bloody wouldn't. In those sort of marriages where the man is the breadwinner, they should be a team and she probably provides back up services that enable him to work full time. If you can't afford 2 x business, go premium economy.

I've paid for my own upper and business tickets on most flights, where I go with a friend who can't / won't pay it I will go economy.

I have a rich girlfriend whose bf refused to accept her upgrade to sit with her in first class out of pride (he could only afford an economy ticket) and she left him to it, as I probably would have done in those circumstances. If it were the other way round, though, I'd have accepted the upgrade.