I used to be a BMI frequent flyer between Leeds/London for many years and met quite a few famous people either on the plane or in frequent flyer lounges. Here are some that easily come to mind...
Frank Carson, I met him a few times. One time he kept the entire FF lounge entertained on one of those days when every route shows delyed/cancelled. Strangely I never liked his TV act but, in person, he seemed much funnier.
Janet Street-Porter. She was booked on one flight with a standby on her preferred flight (which means that she was booked late). What a fuss she created in the FFL when told that she hadn't made the flight... F'ing and blinding very loudly, what a t@t!
Ian Botham... I'd got into Heathrow early from the US and was sat in the FFL on my own watching TV when in came IB and his Mrs. He sat down and then ordered his wife around like a slave. When I switched the TV channel he demanded (in an abusive sort of way) that I switch it back as he hadn't finished watching it. He went sulky when I informed him that the programme that had been on had actually finished, the next one being teletubbies. Boy, how his attitude changed though when two more sports celebs came in... all sweetness and light to everyone then!
Fred Trueman... sat next to me on the way back to Leeds. We had a very wide ranging conversation during which I found out that one of Fred's great delights was plain old fish and chips and a pint (no real surprise there)
Sir Alex Fergusson... met him in the FFL in Nice airport. We started talking about football but, when he spotted this wasn't exactly my area of expertise, he changed subject and we had a nice long chat waiting for our flight to Manchester, which had been delayed.
A long, long time ago I spoke to Bob Geldof, he and 'the rats' were eating at the next table to me in what was then a Chinese restaurant in Bradford somewhere behind the Alhambra. They were a right scruffy looking lot... I didn't twig who they were until I started wondering why people were staring in the window
Madonna... well I sat about 5 rows behind her on the plane - 5 rows filled with her entourage!
Phil Collins, sat next to me but went to sleep as soon as the flight took off. Fair does, he looked completely knackered. (I think he was on his way to a gig at Roundhay Park)
On topic with RL, I once had the great displeasure to have to sit through a meal sat opposite Maurice Lindsey on the train down to London. Pretty much all the way down he was on the phone calling people to tell them that he couldn't do this or that because he was on his way down to 'Number 10'. What a pompous ass
Oh, and David Bluncket... in 1987 all the trains from Kings-X to Leeds had been cancelled (hurricane had damaged the roof). There was a rumour of one train out of London northwards from St P's (next door). I skittled across and sat down in an empty 1st class compartment. The compartment quickly filled until there was only 1 seat left, opposite me. Well in comes David B and sits there. No problem with that... no, the only problem was his bloody great big dog which sat in front of him putting me in an ideal position to notice that it clearly needed its teeth cleaning