Celebs Onboard
Someone asked me about celebrities I've had onboard. The ones I know about, besides Ted Lange and Mare Winningham are:
LeeAnn Womack---and her band on a flight from Chicago (ORD) to Nashville (BNA)--very quiet, stayed to herself, she signed an autograph for my Captain.Rodney Atkins' band--not the singer himself, but the band. Chatted with the bass player for a bit--he was really nice, and shared information about life on the road (misses his new baby) and how the band business works. I don't remember where we were or where we were going.
Ann-Margret---Traveling from Chicago (ORD) to Champaign, IL (CMI) to do a show at the University of Illinois. She was traveling under her married name (Smith) with her grouchy husband. I asked him to put his bag under the seat in front of him--and he snapped at me and said, "It's not a bag, it's a dog." (It was a pet carrier.) I said, "Okay, please put your dog under the seat in front of you..." (The rules are the same, people...no matter who you are and what you are carrying...)
Emmylou Harris---She was traveling either to Ottawa (YOW) or from Ottawa--I don't remember. I put her guitar in my closet and didn't not recognize her until she got off the plane--and then I looked at her name on the manifest, and sure enough, it was her! How could I not have known with her world famous silver hair??
Ronnie Milsap---He was coming out of Omaha (OMA) to Chicago (ORD) then onto Nashville (BNA). He slept the entire flight--it was a 6:00 am departure. He is a very sickly and frail looking man! I was shocked! He had several "handlers" with him that morning.