I Just Flew Next To One Of My Biggest Celebrity Crushes And Didn’t Realize It

I Just Flew Next To One Of My Biggest Celebrity Crushes And Didn’t Realize It

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Let me start by saying that I’m generally not fazed by celebrities. They’re people just like the rest of us. I’ve flown with a countless number of A-list celebrities over the years. Hell, I can think of at least five celebrities that I’ve randomly been on planes with at least twice. Most of the time I don’t realize them till someone points them out to me, while other times I notice and forget within minutes. That being said, I think we all have our celebrity crushes. I think most people who are being honest would admit that they’d be pretty excited if they happened to fly next to one of them.

Well, that’s exactly what happened to me today, and I didn’t realize it till the very end of the flight.

I flew Delta One this morning from New York to Los Angeles on a 767. I was in a single seat on the side, and towards the end of the boarding process two guys were escorted onto the plane, and sat down in the middle seats across from me. I only noticed them because the Delta escort was talking to one of the guys. I assumed that I should know who the guy was, given that he was escorted on, how he was dressed, etc. While the guy looked familiar, I wasn’t sure who it was.

My assumption was that the guy he was traveling with was a friend and/or someone who worked for him. They were both wearing hats and sunglasses. But for some reason I assumed the guy who the escort was talking to was the celebrity.

Both of them slept from takeoff till touchdown, and as far as I could tell no one seemed to say anything to them the whole flight (including passengers and crew).

When we landed and everyone got up, I once again looked at the first guy who I assumed was the celebrity, and still couldn’t figure out who he was.

But then I looked at the guy he was traveling with. WAIT A SECOND IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS? IT CAN’T BE? OMG IT IS!!! I was so caught off guard that I started shaking a bit.

I’m in total disbelief that I sat across from said person for six hours but didn’t realize who he was.

In retrospect I’m happy I only realized who it was at the end of the flight, or else this might have been me the whole flight:

Update: I always appreciate constructive criticism, and in this case it’s clear I was wrong, based on the number of comments. I can promise my intention with not giving the celebrity’s name wasn’t to be clickbaity, but rather I felt like it would be creepy to share who it was. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t have written the post at all, though I can only blame my excitement at the time. Since just about everyone seems to disagree with me, and since he was indeed on a commercial flight between two major airports, I’ll share. It wasn’t Shawn Mendes, because I said “one of my biggest” and not “the biggest.” 😉 It was Nick Jonas. Sorry again… I’ll do better next time.

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  1. Jason Brandt Lewis Gold

    Who the f*** is Nick Jonas? (Or Shawn Mendes, or that matter . . . )

  2. Culverin Guest

    Hey Ben

    It’s refreshing to hear from someone who has the same attitudes towards celebrities. Indeed, they are just people after all, however, there are obviously some exceptions. I’m trying to think who I would feel overwhelmed to meet in the flesh, I think most of them are all dead sadly.

  3. Stephan Guest

    Ben, This was your worst aberration ever. Very juvenile and kind of sad. Please don't stoop this low again. You really embarrassed yourself.

  4. Bostonwalker Guest

    Most people don't care about Nick jones anyway, and a lot don't know who he is, so...

    1. Robbo Guest

      Most people? What rock have you been under

  5. Tiebreaker Guest

    Who cares about Nick Jones anyway?!

  6. Selenephoenix Guest

    I once sat besideherbie Hancock who was an amazing seat companion when Delta business was the Upgrade
    Oh MY MY I have a tale to tell
    I did not realize who he was till 2/5 in the flight Jfk to las

  7. European Son Guest

    Never thought that Lucky could get worse than TPG but it looks like he's finally managed it.

    Sometimes you should listen to that little voice in your head that tells you that something isn't worth sharing with the world outside.

  8. Jacki Guest

    Look, everyone. It was Rush Limbaugh that Ben was geeking out about! What, you all didn't know that Ben loves El Rushbo?

    :)

    1. Robbo Guest

      He's already old us it was Nick Jonas, the hottest American in the world, so hot he's enough to make me become a homosexual too.

      " It was Nick Jonas. Sorry again… I’ll do better next time."

  9. Steve Guest

    @Disgruntled, click bait

  10. Disgruntled Reader Guest

    What a load of crap article if you don't say who it was !!
    Whats the point of the article then ????

  11. Steve Guest

    Wonder if Lucky pulled a Trump and grabbed Nick by the *****

  12. Robbo Guest

    The writer is a homosexual so we always knew the crush was going to be a bloke. If I was homosexual I guess Nick Jonas would be a crush, he's quite the dude.

  13. Andy Guest

    More American trash...

  14. Greenfish Guest

    I agreed. Worst OMAAT post. But I am going with David Cassidy. Was he carry on?

    (My apologies to all.)

  15. James Guest

    Sorry, who is Nick Jonas?

  16. ed Guest

    I saw this post yesterday, but had to click on it again today to see if:
    a) you updated it
    b) people had lost their minds
    Both happened. Good job!

    That's a pretty sweet celebrity sighting. I'd be kicking myself if i'd been next to him for a whole flight and not said anything.

  17. TheRealBabushka Guest

    The word you’re looking for is not click bait, it’s cock tease.

  18. Flyer Guest

    I agree there are better posts on OMAAT, but you're still my hero.

  19. Curious Abroad Guest

    Who is Shaun Mendes?? Is he related to Sergio Mendes?

  20. SullyofDoha Gold

    Nick Jonas? Hmmm, I had thought it was Gary Leff... ;)

  21. Lucian Guest

    Another cheap post like this and I will cancel. Come on

  22. Paul Member

    Never heard of him! Guess its a young kid thing.....

  23. AdamR Diamond

    I was seated next to Nick on a DL flight from SFO to LAX once and didn't know who it was. He was with an entourage and they were fawning all over him. I gathered he was "important" but had no idea. So I took a surreptitious pic and let Facebook inform me. He was nice enough...we briefly chatted, but I could tell he was miffed I didn't acknowledge him. Oops. Nobody else on the flight seem to care, either. So...yeah.

  24. Alan S. New Member

    We ran into Nick at Epcot one year when they were rolling out their new brew at the Food & Wine Festival. Not being a big Jonas Brothers fan, although I knew who they were, we walked along side of them and their Disney exports for several minutes before we finally asked. Our “Duh” moment.

  25. neil Diamond

    My guess is that this was a test/experiment to see how many comments one could generate with a totally nothing post. 133 comments before mine.
    Well done Ben.

  26. Jo Guest

    For many years I read Frugal Travel Guy until I just couldn't stand it anymore and completely threw in the towel a few months ago. With this idiotic post, I'm now pulling the plug on OMAAT as well. If it's a slow travel news day, it's perfectly fine to post nothing until something news worthy comes along, But, this post completely insults my intelligence and utterly reduces my interest in continuing to read OMAAT. You...

    For many years I read Frugal Travel Guy until I just couldn't stand it anymore and completely threw in the towel a few months ago. With this idiotic post, I'm now pulling the plug on OMAAT as well. If it's a slow travel news day, it's perfectly fine to post nothing until something news worthy comes along, But, this post completely insults my intelligence and utterly reduces my interest in continuing to read OMAAT. You cannot take my business for granted nor disrespect my time.

  27. Bill Guest

    Don’t feel bad i have had celebs who i have seen in tv and film many times come up and actually talk to me and I still didn’t realize who they were until after.

  28. Jung Guest

    Man oh man and I thought I saw u in W Singapore with Ford... but the couple was taking taxi so I figured darn it, that couldn’t possibly be...

  29. Steve Guest

    Lucky, if Nick told you to, would you grab your ankles?

  30. CS Guest

    Kudos to admitting when something was done wrong Lucky. Well done!

  31. Tim Guest

    Lucky, Love your blog. Still do. 98% of those people who said they'll never read your blog again will be back. Well, they probably already read your LifeMiles bonus post.

  32. TimF New Member

    I got a good chuckle from the post, Lucky! Just bummed it wasn’t Shawn!!! I would have died and gone to heaven!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

  33. Mitch Cumstein Gold

    You must be the only one out there to have a crush on Sergio Mendes.

  34. Morgan Guest

    Thanks for the update lucky

  35. SR Guest

    i will only consider not reading this blog if there is absolutely no acknowledgement about readers’ frustration over this post. And hopefully that’s not a long defensive post about why he didn’t name the celebrity.

  36. James Guest

    This is not my least favorite post, but it’s close.

  37. lucky OMAAT

    Post updated with an apology and who it was. Sometimes I get things wrong, and clearly that was the case here, so again, I'm sorry.

  38. Benji Guest

    Most commented on post ever?

  39. Rob Member

    I would've been freaking out if I saw Chris Farley on a plane too. He's been dead for 20 yrs.

  40. Jerry Aucoin Diamond

    If you're mad about this post and you want to stop reading this blog, go ahead... There's nothing holding you back.

  41. Jack New Member

    You kidding me? This post is appalling. We expect much better of you dude. You owe us a name and an apology hahaha

  42. Mitchell Guest

    All of you should just shut up. Who cares what the story is behind this, just relax and calm the f down. Jeez, have a sense of humor. You know you’ll still come back to the site, cause he’s one of the damn best travel bloggers around.

    Try not to loose sleep over this guys.

  43. rud01 Member

    Bullshit
    “I’ve flown with a countless number of A-list celebrities”
    As long time reader (less so as of today), I don’t believe you’ve ever FLOWN with A listers, flown on the same plane......maybe but we really don’t know, do we?
    Bullshit

  44. phoenix Guest

    My money's on Akbar Al-Baker.

  45. JZ New Member

    Worst post ever, who is Shawn Mugabe anyway

  46. Shaun Guest

    Lucky, the people have spoken. You sir, are a douche.

  47. Steve Guest

    Been has to be laughing so hard at all of us after trolling us. Hey Ben, suck my nuts.

  48. Andy Guest

    Probably a g.a.y. p.o.r.n. star that he jerks off to.

  49. God Guest

    Stupid post and long time reader

  50. Jordan esparza New Member

    Everyone complaining here must be new. Lucky doesn't put people on blast like that even if it doesn't invade their privacy. Knew he wouldn't tell. Get over it.

  51. AS Guest

    For those of you wondering who Shawn Mendes is, I went and looked it up. He’s a 19 eat old singer.

    Agree with everybody that this is a dumb as hell post.

  52. Rob_Riyadh Guest

    I'm guessing Elvis.

  53. wordtraveller73 Guest

    Waste of time.

  54. BHill Guest

    Hi Lucky, am a long-term fan - but this kind of post smacks of desperation and need for comments (which I admittedly obliged to). Am I to think readership is going down and this is a way for you to engage and milk a subject? Pretty pathetic if true and you post a follow up. Didn't realize readership was so bad that you have to stoop this low. What utter BS and kind of shows contempt for your readers.

  55. PFG Guest

    Clickbait garbage. One strike away from unsubscribing. Don't need another talented blogger reaching VFTW-level trashiness. Lucky, I'm disappointed, but still holding out hope that you'll take these comments to heart as constructive criticism to be better than this.

  56. George Member

    Lol all the triggered people here.

  57. Annoyed Guest

    Done with this blog. It has deteriorated into BS. Get to the point and don't waste my time. You suck.

  58. Esteban Guest

    OMG, me too!
    He was awesome, I thought I was dreaming.
    After the meal service finished I decided to talk to him, so I approached to his seat and I said:
    - Hi, are you

  59. Scottman Guest

    Wow, Ben. You better than this. Between the waste of time clickbait posts and constant credit card hawking, your blog has gone so far downhill the past couple of years that I’m about to unsubscribe. Bummer.

  60. Imperator Diamond

    I once sat next to a naked John Travolta in the steam room at The Sports Club in Washington, DC.

  61. That EK Gold Tier Lady Guest

    HA! I actually enjoyed this article!! It was a refreshingly human moment, Lucky! You will now have this memory to cherish, within you, forever!! Lol!! Happy Flying!!!

  62. Juno Guest

    Well, Lucky got what he wanted, a ton of views and comments, so I guess his clickbait BS worked.

  63. LawnMowerMan Guest

    O phuck, Rene loves what you do and is begging for more.

    You know you suck if he feels he has to kiss your ass.

  64. nathan Guest

    You often don't even realize you have a celebrity on board. In my 34 years career flying around the world, i have flown with.... On Concorde - Tommy Hilfiger, Henry Kissinger, Barbara Bush, Hanan Ashrawi, Elton John, Madonna. In BA First - Elton John, Peter O'Toole, Naomi Campbell, a Thai Princes. In AA first, Ivana Trump, Brigitte Nielsen, Paula Abdul. Those are the ones i noticed and remember.

  65. Luke Vader Diamond

    You were on a flight with Kevin Spacey?!? Fascinating.

  66. Mjolnir22 Guest

    Let’s talk about stuff that’s really important, like the 150% bonus on purchased Lifemiles supposedly coming out on Turkey Day. Will there be an OMAAT loyal reader bonus on top of that? While I normally don’t buy miles, 175% would be too tempting to resist. Or how about a detailed discussion of current availability and availability trends for Lifemiles?

  67. Chris Guest

    Sheik Zayed who finally admitted he's gay too

  68. jmw2323 Guest

    I have never given a crap about ridiculous articles from any blogger until this one appeared.

    Moronic at best

  69. LouLou Guest

    I don't understand the point. I work for a hotel company. When celebrity guests join us it's part of my job to maintain their confidentiality.

    If other guests see them in the lobby they can tell their friends who they saw. They have no obligation to secrecy. Same situation here - you don't work for Delta, you are allowed to talk about it.

  70. Kevin Guest

    Garbage article. I have never read so much that said so little. it is like a trash mystery novel with no ending. I will never get the 5 minutes of my life back. Thanks a lot Ben.

  71. René Guest

    Great post Ben. I really loved this one. Could not stop smiling with each word. More just like this!

  72. Aztec Guest

    WTF? First, you endorse an 'amazing deal on an airline that you didn't like and is likely to go out of business and now this?!! Whoever is giving you advice on how to grow your brand is an idiot.

  73. Qs Guest

    Did someone hack your website Ben? If not, this is stupid and not why people come here.

  74. Bostonwalker Guest

    Was he your former husband? Disgusting post.

  75. Drukyulgoods New Member

    Really?

    Seeing that it is the season of thanksgiving in the US, citing how much you have given to your user base this year, and the comments above, I’m giving this one a pass. You should have named whomever at the end sir.

  76. Brodie Gold

    You are a queen....

  77. David New Member

    Pretty poor post. You have not replied to any comments. So what’s the point in it??? Oh... and by the way, I have sat next to Shawn on a flight, all the way to the US.

  78. Oyvind Guest

    The most unproffesional post ever. I thought you were a serious blogger.

  79. Jack Member

    @MoGreen

    You mean Gary Leff level of clickbait.

  80. schar Guest

    why the crap would u not tell us who it was after all this? -.-

  81. hank New Member

    gotta be TPG himself LOL

  82. joe boo Guest

    Worst post ever...one more BS post like this, Blackball this site...literally.
    what a clown post...

  83. Joe Guest

    I'm another longtime ready (way before you got your magazine boost). We deserve better than this. I'm gone if this persists.

  84. Nate Guest

    Sigh... Lucky... just stop making up drama!

  85. Mike Guest

    Really awful post. I'd suggest you remove it.

  86. Chris Guest

    Worst post ever!! I was at Lax and got a pic with ozzy. Who is your big crush? Kanye?

  87. Norb Guest

    You're an asshole. I wish bad things for you type of people. Thanks for the waste of time...

  88. Charles Guest

    Nice way to get people to stop reading your future posts...

  89. Tommy Trash Gold

    Statistically much more likely a former member of One Direction—they tend to travel with their ho entourage though

  90. John Guest

    Wow, this is arguably the worst blog post I have ever read.

  91. John Calacua Guest

    Ben this sucks, it's simply a filler with no 'content'. Please tell us who it is or don't post it at all. You're beginning to turn into Daniel.

  92. Kevin Gold

    What a prick! Clickbait to increase traffic on your site? Pussy!

  93. Shawn Guest

    Ben I've been reading your blog on a daily basis since 2008. You're better than this.

  94. CS Guest

    Did you write this article months ago as a filler for when you got nothing to publish? Cuz this sure has zero content in it

  95. Obby Guest

    I am quitting this cite after that click bait thang. Bye forever

  96. Matt Guest

    Congrats, Im gonna stop reading this blog now. I got no tolerance for clickbait crap.

  97. Old FT Chat friend Guest

    It's Joe Jonas, folks.

  98. David Diamond

    He already took the flight, not like anyone can get on the flight and stalk him/violate his privacy. Not sure why you wouldn't just say who the celebrity is.

  99. fd@fd. Guest

    How gay...who gives a shit.

  100. nemme Member

    lame - just say who it was or don't say anything

  101. yyc Member

    If it was Shawn Mendes, @Lucky did you at least get a picture/autograph with him? Should replace that fake autograph you got from the Residence with a real one :P

  102. Brandon Guest

    Also, you fly into T5 on Aer Lingus and could have flown Mint to LA again yet you fly the, IMO, far inferior product?

  103. LawnMowerMan Guest

    Did you take a dump right after him? You may never wash your arse again.

  104. Adam Guest

    This is so dumb. You’re not violating anyone’s privacy by saying who it is. But you are wasting our time.

  105. Brandon Guest

    RIP Chris Farley </3

  106. Desi Guest

    Sis, don't brew the tea unless you intend to spill it.

  107. Randy Diamond

    Who is Shawn Mendes? Never heard of him.

    I can't image any celebrity that I would be exceeded to sit next to.

  108. Stupid Guest

    What a stupid post. Moron

  109. DLPTATL Guest

    Agree with the majority on both points - 1) annoying post without the name and 2) Shawn Mendes

  110. Nolan Member

    Guys we all know it’s Shawn Mendes

  111. John Member

    Agree with everyone else. You need to tell us who. Otherwise the story makes no sense. It matters what type of celebrity the person is, how famous, etc. Without that detail it’s a pointless story.

    Anyway why are you so embarrassed to reveal your crush? I’m sure the celeb would take it as a compliment. This feels like middle school.

  112. Andrew Guest

    My money is on someone other than Shawn Mendes.

  113. DaninMCI Guest

    The first rule of first class: Act like you've been there before.

  114. Alex Member

    Worst blog post ever here on OMAAT....
    actually, it's a BS post. If you aren't going to tell who it is, don't bother writing about it.

  115. 2PAXFLY Member

    All commenters - consider yourself clickbaited. And that includes me.

  116. A New Member

    I don't think it necessarily was Shawn Mendez. Some quick Googling shows he was in LA on 19 November for the AMA's then flew to New Zealand afterwards (he's due to play a show in Auckland on 25 November). Not sure why he would throw in a trip from LA to New York and back in between? That said, I agree with the other comments, not sure why you bothered sharing this post if you aren't going to at least give everyone a hint or just name the celebrity.

  117. funkkjunkie Guest

    THIS post is why I am unsubscribing to everything one mile at a time. Shameful.

  118. Jeff Member

    Just when I started to consider this the premier points blog. Don't go the way of TPG and lose focus. This post is a waste of life.

  119. MoGreen Guest

    This is Business Insider headline level of clickbait , and hope not where this blog is headed .

  120. James Guest

    This is NOT the kind of post I read a travel blog for. Glad I didn't read the entire article....was probably a Kardashian no-talent non-celeb.

  121. Ben (not Lucky) Member

    Yes, blog income are tied to page views and user engagement, but being intentionally cryptic so you can make another post later for more views is just bad practice and pisses off your readers.

  122. Robert Diamond

    You really suckered me into reading the whole post, wondering who it was and expecting to find out. Wow, I've been duped

  123. Jack Member

    Definitely Shawn Mendes

  124. Scottstlfl Guest

    Invites all kind of speculation, so I go withLucky's fiancé.
    You wouldn’t dare marry someone who resembles your crush. Or...would you? Hmmm.
    Damn this champagne is good.

  125. AW Guest

    @Dave he just used the Chris Farley gif to show how he felt

  126. Chucky New Member

    This was the biggest let down since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull.

  127. Tom Guest

    Seriously. I clicked through my RSS feed for this? Please don’t be a doiche. It’s pretty easy to unsubscribe if this kind of clickbait persists.

  128. Debit Guest

    You have a freaking fan club yourself.

  129. Morgan Guest

    Lucky why don't you say who it is?

  130. AW Guest

    Well? I'm guessing Shawn Mendes.

  131. MatiasGOT Guest

    Your close friend Wes Goodman?

  132. global traveller Guest

    wot a twatt of a post

  133. Gene Diamond

    It had to be the FirstClassQueen.

  134. Alex Guest

    Did you even fly from New York to Los Angeles this morning? Def something fishy with this post...

  135. Dave Guest

    Dude, Chris Farley is dead.

  136. Darin Guest

    It is kind of a bullshit post. Who cares if you say who it is?

  137. Jay Guest

    This is the exact definition of a clickbait article... with absolutely no explanation of who it is.

  138. Justin New Member

    Shawn Mendes yassssss

  139. Jorge Guest

    Geez I forgot you had a crush on
    Rob Kardashian.

    For a moment I thought you were talking about Bruce Jenner

  140. Mark Guest

    SHAWN MENDES For the win

  141. Dave Guest

    This is a ridiculous post. Say who it is, or why bother posting?
    And honestly, why wouldn’t you just say. It is in no way violating angone’s Privacy. Honestly, this is just stupid.
    Shame.

  142. Boufneesha New Member

    Shawn Mendez. Happy for you, Ben!!

  143. Brian Guest

    It better have been Jason Statham or you need to increase your standards Lucky

  144. Rob New Member

    Richard Quest wore a hat?

  145. Ben Guest

    Shawn bloody Mendez?!?

  146. Raj Guest

    Good story. But oddly cryptic.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Jason Brandt Lewis Gold

Who the f*** is Nick Jonas? (Or Shawn Mendes, or that matter . . . )

0
Culverin Guest

Hey Ben It’s refreshing to hear from someone who has the same attitudes towards celebrities. Indeed, they are just people after all, however, there are obviously some exceptions. I’m trying to think who I would feel overwhelmed to meet in the flesh, I think most of them are all dead sadly.

0
Stephan Guest

Ben, This was your worst aberration ever. Very juvenile and kind of sad. Please don't stoop this low again. You really embarrassed yourself.

0
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