There were a series of interesting cameos: Sharona spots Tim Daly on their flight, and says he was on the TV show Wings (1990). Monk claims he never saw the show, and asks if the show was any good, and she responds, "Well, *he* was." Tony Shalhoub played "Antonio Scarpacci" on "Wings" for nearly the entire run of the show. Leigh, the flight attendant who is being driven to distraction by Monk's antics on the plane, is portrayed by Brooke Adams, Tony Shalhoub's wife in real life. Series creator Andy Breckman can be seen taking a seat in First Class near the beginning of Mr. Monk and the Airplane (2002).
Garry Marshall (plays Warren Beach) is on A League of Their Own (1993) with Bitty Schram. Marshall plays Walter Harvey, the candy bar owner who owns/creates the All American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II. Schram plays Evelyn, the right fielder for the Rockford Peaches. She is most notable for being the mother of Stilwell and to whom Tom Hanks reacts, saying "There's no crying in baseball."
The extension cord salesman suggests Monk goes "to Seaworld." This is something show creator Andy Breckman says on his WFMU radio show when he is bored or uninterested by his co-host or any of his callers.
Ted Levine is credited with appearing in all 125 episodes, but does not appear here nor twice previously in season one.