p43 Sep19 16/9/08 09:29 Page 43
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Lisa Scott-Lee, of Steps fame, and her husband Johnny Shentall read TTG, courtesy of our reporter Chris Gray, who was served onboard by actor Dan O’Connor and comedian Phil Cornwell (above, right)
TTG takes to the skies for
be fined £2,000. I would have liked to know that,
so decide I won’t be voting for him to stay.
At the gate I sit among an excitable crowd who
are snapping the celebs and calling friends. “I
saw that Tamara Whats-her-face,” says one pas-
an episode of CelebAir
senger into her mobile phone. “It’s very exciting.”
I also saw “Tamara Whats-her-face” earlier,
telling an elderly gentleman who clearly had no
idea who she was how to get to the toilet. To her
Eleven celebrities are starring in a TV show with Monarch
credit she carried out the task courteously and
Airlines. Chris Gray boarded a flight to assess their skills
efficiently, and my neighbours on the flight said
she was lovely to them when they checked in, so
I decide I can’t justify voting her off.
DON’T you just love celebrity culture? I’ve just as this is my first foray into reality television I
been informed my flight to Malaga will be two want to make an impact. Onboard service
hours late – but I don’t care because I was told I get my chance when I hand my battered The “celebs” on the flight are comedian Phil
by someone who’s on television. passport to Johnny and he tells me it’s in such a Cornwell and Neighbours actor Dan O’Connor.
Lisa Scott-Lee cheerily tells me about the delay bad state it could have been tampered with, so To me they had a much harder task than the
and offers me a CelebAir sweet – as if that will strictly I should not be allowed to fly. Johnny asks other three, having to serve half the aircraft with
make everything OK. Which strangely it does. me to sign a form absolving Monarch of respon- food and drinks, carry out safety demonstra-
We chat about the delay and the fact that the sibility if Spanish immigration refuses me entry. tions, and present a birthday cake to former
Airbus A321 on which I was due to fly has been I consider flying into a rage for the cameras Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave.
swapped for a smaller Airbus A320. but instead ask him what the form means. Phil makes a stream of wisecracks for the pas-
Suddenly I realise this could be the only time Johnny has a go, but it’s clear he’s not sure. When sengers but Dan just stands about. When one fe-
in my life I discuss aircraft models and sizes with I read the form, it turns out I could theoretically male crew member points out he has served four
a former member of Steps – I savour the moment. rows and she has done about 30, he just smiles.
I decide to vote him off but the crew member
Checking in Sara Turner’s tip for the top: Lisa Maffia is warns me off, saying he is “eye candy” for the
Lisa and her husband, Johnny Shentall, who CelebAir’s strongest performer so ladies. Now I understand why he’s there.
she met when he was a dancer with Steps, along far, says Monarch mentor Sara When we arrive in Malaga, Phil and Dan look
with one-time “it-girl” Tamara Beckwith, are on Turner. “Lisa will be very hard to worn out and Monarch purser Sara Turner, who
the check-in desks at Gatwick for my flight to beat. She is on top of every is mentoring the celebs, is kind about their
Malaga. aspect of the job. She is performance. She says they are as good as any
They are part of a group of 11 showbizzy types exceedingly good at other raw recruits but are slowed down because
running check-in and inflight service for everything. She looks every passenger “wants a piece of them”.
CelebAir, a subsidiary of Monarch Airlines immaculate and And the CelebAir trainees would have to
operating for the duration of an ITV2 series approaches the job like toughen up in the real world. “If they are
documenting their progress. somebody who has been shattered after Malaga it’d be interesting to see
Passengers on the flights get to vote off the doing it for a long time.” them after Sharm el Sheikh because Malaga is a
celebs who they think are not up to scratch, and walk in the park compared with longer days.”
19.09.2008 43
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