Oprah Winfrey tops Bush, Gore as preferred travel companion, survey says

Oprah Winfrey

(CNN) -- Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey's popularity has taken flight.

Nearly one-third of Americans would rather sit next to Winfrey on an airplane than presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore, according to a poll commissioned by Fodor's Travel.

Golf sensation Tiger Woods, "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker and financial whiz Warren Buffett also trailed the successful TV personality, according to the survey, which the National Family Opinion Group conducted recently for the travel publisher.

"We wondered which 'big names' are the most appealing travel companions, so we looked at the headliners the week the survey was issued and chose the group accordingly," said Bonnie Ammer, president of Fodor's.

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But fame wasn't an overwhelming draw; 20 percent of the 1,000 respondents said they wouldn't want to sit next to any "big name."

Of the remaining travelers, 32 percent voted to share seat space with Winfrey. Woods garnered 18 percent; Bush, 15 percent; Parker, 13 percent; Gore, 12 percent; and Buffett, 10 percent.

Bush and Gore were neck-and-neck in the seatmate race. Sharing a row with Bush appealed to 17 percent of the men, while 15 percent voted for Gore. Fewer women said they would prefer sitting next to either candidate, but of those who would, 13 percent chose Bush while 10 percent preferred Gore.

The poll also came to an irrefutable conclusion: Men and women were on different sides of the aisle on the travel-mate issue. More than half the women with a preference -- 52 percent -- said they'd sit next to Winfrey, while just 7 percent of the men were interested in chatting with the queen of talk. One in four men -- 25 percent -- said they would like to sit beside Woods, compared to only 12 percent of the women.

In other words, many men would rather talk golf than personal growth.

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