Flight delayed for VIP
 

Flying IAD-IAH today and connecting to SAT. First flight was delayed due to inbound aircraft (2.5 hour delay due to mechanical issues at CDG). I can understand that. Booked myself on a backup later flight IAH-SAT. Got to the airport, sat at the gate for 30 minutes with the aircraft good and ready. Why? Because they were waiting for some VIP. Six guys in suits, some with earpieces, showed up after a while and were allowed to escort mysterious VIP onboard while the rest of us waited. Then we had some "loading discrepancy", resulting in another 20 minutes on the runway. Finally landed in IAH just in time to see my connection flight take off. Had we not sat at the gate waiting for the ViP, I'd have made it :(

Wish I knew who it was so I could write a nice thank you note...

Who was this VIP?

I wish I knew. Just got a glimpse of the guy, medium height, caucasian, silver hair. When we landed a United person came to the door and wanted everyone to sit back down while the VIP deplaned. That was met with protests from a bunch of us who had connections. So he gave up and let us leave. I was in first row (767, flat seats) and I did not see where the guy or his entourage sat.

Possibly some high flying oil exec? But those fly private probably...

Based on that description it was Bill Clinton, George Clooney, Steve Martin, Harrison Ford, Matt LeBlanc, John Slattery, Jamie Lee Curtis :D or Roseanne Barr. :D

Looks as though IAH had a mess today with several G/S starting early/mid-afternoon:

http://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_list....te&Other=Other

Will.i.am?

A VIP flying commercial is one thing...with an entourage AND still flying commercial... pathetic... if you are important enough to require 6 lackeys plus have the clout hold up a commercial plane while we peasants wait for you... please fly private

Clinton's 6'2" - I don't consider that "medium height".

I had a somewhat similar VIP "encounter" on a PS flight 2-3 years ago (can't recall the exact date, but I do recall it was the old PS bird since I was in 9A, with the huge legroom, and VIP was in 9C (aisle seat on right side). The entourage pre-boarded before any other pax, and the big guys stood by him, until closed door call when oddly they sat in the rear. I really thought with all the security one bodyguard would be seated with him in C (I was also surprised he wasn't in F)

When we arrived LAX, there were 2 or 3 Escalades parked next to the Jetway, and the entourage all walked down the stairs and hopped in.

I never did figure out who he was.

I'm a little surprised they would hold a flight for a high security VIP. What I observed makes more sense that they would want to have security in place before anyone boarded the flight.

Sorry, OP. It was me. :D

Perhaps John Kerry.

Some VIP caused our flight to delay ex-SFO Friday afternoon. Our incoming aircraft was made to take a loop or two to keep the airspace clear for this guy!

It was cool to get to watch Air Force One land, and park directly across the runway from T3E. :)

And he looks just plain big. I saw him in IAD a few days before Sept 11. He was on my flight to LA with a large entourage. They sat upstairs (747), I was down in the cheap seats. He showed up reasonably early like any other passenger and as far as I could tell didn't affect the boarding process on that flight.

Bill Clinton - too tall
George Clooney - too dark
Steve Martin - too old
Harrison Ford - too old
Matt LeBlanc - too young
Jamie Lee Curtis - wrong gender
Roseanne Barr - maybe that's it! :)