Richard Branson beats George Clooney and Hugh Jackman to be named celebrity passengers would most like to sit next to on a plane

As global leaders prepare to board Brisbane bound flights for this weekend's G20 Summit, we couldn't help but wonder who people would most like to share an airline seat with?

While celebrities of the likes of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Beyonce come to mind, it's actually Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela and George Clooney who truly top wishlists.

And when it comes to politicians, Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott are the most preferred potential seat mates. 

Australian travel website, Wotif.com, undertook their 'Are You a High Flyer' survey, asking who passengers would prefer to sit next to on a plane.

Executive General Manager, Helen Demetriou explained: 'Surprisingly, the top list of potential seat buddies includes more than just popular celebrities, with Abbott making it to seventh place, just beating out Obama in eighth place.

'Top of the wish list is Virgin founder Richard Branson, followed by the late Nelson Mandela, then George Clooney, our very own Hugh Jackman and Pink, with the Dalai Lama just beating Abbott to sixth place.

'There's a range of reasons why people want to share armrests with Abbott, the most popular reason being to give him feedback on issues or voice opinions, followed by questions they'd like to ask the Prime Minister or to get some answers on burning questions.'

George Clooney (left), Hugh Jackman (middle) and Pink (right) also topped the list of dream seat mates

TOP CELEBRITY SEAT MATES 

1. Richard Branson

2. Nelson Mandela

3. George Clooney

4. Hugh Jackman

5. Pink

6. Dalai Lama

7. Tony Abbott

8. Barack Obama

9. Billy Connolly

10. John Travolta 

MOST IMPORTANT LEADER TRAITS 

1. Honesty

2. Passion

3. Charisma

4. Practicality

5. Humour

6. Understanding the need for a good holiday

7. Good looks

8. Punctuality 

*According to Australian respondents

Source: Wotif.com 

Interestingly, the reasons for picking Obama seem to be a bit different, with many Australians hoping that they'd have the chance to fly on Air Force One.

'There's no doubt sitting next to Obama on the flight to Brisbane would be something to boast about,' Demetriou continued.

'Some respondents picked Obama to get his tips on public speaking or because they want to know how he became the most powerful man on the planet.

'But it wasn't all business talk - one even chose him to find out if he snores or if he is a chatterbox.'

New Zealanders polled were also eager to meet their Prime Minister, with John Key being the third most popular person on the list, following Nelson Mandela and Ritchie McCaw.

Wotif.com also asked respondents to reveal what they thought were the most important leadership attributes.

Australians ranked honesty, passion, and charisma as the top three most important traits, with a sense of humour more important than good looks or, interestingly enough, punctuality.  

Source: Dailymail