Richie tops armrest tussle

Kiwis named Richie McCaw (above), Sir Peter Jackson and Rachel Hunter as favoured plane seat buddies.

Kiwis rate All Black captain favourite plane-seat buddy with PM John Key close behind.

Talking to the person sitting next to you in a plane is a turn-off for many - but not if your seat buddy is Richie McCaw.

The All Black captain has topped a list of people Kiwis would want to sit next to on a plane.

A survey carried out by travel website Wotif asked subscribers who they would most want to share an armrest with, and why.

Wotif spokeswoman Kirsty La Bruniy said 20 per cent of the 3323 respondents put McCaw at the top of their list.

"The main reasons for wanting to get some time with our national hero were to talk sport or in the hope it would lead to them, or their daughter, becoming Mrs McCaw," said Ms La Bruniy.

Next on the list was Prime Minister John Key, scoring 18 per cent of the plane-buddy vote, in the hope sitting next to him might mean scoring a seat in business class.

In total, 26 per cent of respondents chose a New Zealand politician as a desired seat-buddy.

Of those who voted for Mr Key, one in three said it was because they "were really interested in him as a person".

However, 13 per cent of those who picked Mr Key did so for "negative" reasons, such as the chance to tell him what he was doing wrong.

Behind McCaw and the PM, model Rachel Hunter, Sir Peter Jackson, All Black Dan Carter and broadcaster Paul Henry took the next four spots.

-Staff reporter