USHER - USHER PROVOKES AIR RAGE

R+B hunk USHER infuriated fellow passengers on a recent flight from New York to Los Angeles - by holding up take-off so he could chat to the pilot.

The YEAH! hitmaker was travelling to Tinseltown on Thursday (20MAY04) when he and his entourage were allowed into the cockpit just prior to departure, leading to a 20-minute delay on the flight.

Fellow passengers were so angry with the special treatment given to Usher, they text messaged gossip website PAGESIX.COM to expose his diva antics.

One message read: "They actually allowed Usher and his security guards to go inside the cockpit! He has got more LOUIS VUITTON luggage with him than ELIZABETH TAYLOR and now they are making people switch seats.

"Now Usher is hanging out talking to someone in the front row of first class so he gets noticed. He should sit down, hide and shut up like celebrities do. Now he's drinking champagne."

However, Usher's spokesperson SUSAN BLOND refused to believe the tale, stating, "It doesn't sound like Usher. He is always respectful of everyone."