Today’s airports come with lounges and other amenities that make a business traveller’s time before a flight more useful.Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Efficient Traveller is a six-part series that highlights how small-business owners and entrepreneurs can get the most out of their business excursions.
There are frequent fliers. And then there's Michael Lyons, in a tier of frequent fliers extraordinaire.
For more than two decades, during a peripatetic career as a construction and design executive, he spent at least two weeks each month on average travelling throughout North America and Europe. Now working as a consultant and travelling less, he still has a lifetime of tips.
But they all seem to come with one caveat. Every decision of business traveller makes needs to be based on justifying the expense. Business travellers know this all too well, but Mr. Lyons can tell you how to justify the perks and why they matter.
First off, it's all about establishing an office whenever and wherever you are. On a flight, that means getting preferred seating to be able to work to justify the travel time - business class on cross-continental travel and premium coach in North America.
"So you've got an office up there – the first thing you want is at least a premium seat or premium coach to give yourself a little more leg room. But not only leg room, you want a good fold down because you want to use that laptop," he says.
Economy travellers wonder why on Earth business people pay so much extra for the tiniest of perks, like a complimentary glass of wine.
But as Mr. Lyons argues, "Seating is optimal." It has nothing to do with the food or beverages.
And it's also about being able to disembark quickly to gain time at the destination.
In the airport, the Nexus program is key, with faster lines at customs between Canada and the United States for preapproved travellers. "For the business traveller, if they're doing even intermittent travel in the United States, it is of enormous value," says Mr. Lyons.
There's the old habit, though, among some small-business people, who try to cut corners by driving to an airport across the U.S. border, to find cheaper airfares or to avoid Canadian airport improvement taxes.
But whereas they might think they're saving money, "that's changed somewhat because of the drop in the Canadian dollar," says Mr. Lyons. "That's offset the value of going to places like Buffalo."
And the cost of gas and parking need to be factored in. But again, there's the problem of wasted time.
Also, the bigger Canadian and international airports have all sorts of business perks, especially the ever-improving lounges.
According to Mr. Lyons, "the biggest value you have in airports today, because of the delays that do come, because of the long lineups and everything else, is access to a fully functioning business lounge."
Most have some kind of teleconferencing set-up and private meeting areas. Some have showers.
"Working out in the common areas now is really untenable, in a lot of ways," notes Mr. Lyons. "There's too much traffic, too much noise. And a lot of people can not give up two to three hours during a day."
Then once having landed, there's the problem of getting downtown. A city with a direct commuter train line from the airport to downtown is "an absolute boon," he says. "For Toronto, this is a lifesaver. … Everybody says, 'Oh I don't want to take the train.' Trust me, you do!"
A train link allows you to use a laptop, is quicker and usually costs less than a cab.
The next step is picking a hotel, which is a lot like choosing an airline. Go with those hotels you know, even if they are a little more expensive, but geared to business class; collect loyalty points with them; and stay during off-peak days.
One way to offset the hotel expense is to travel immediately after a holiday, something few people typically want to do.
But Mr. Lyons says he frequently would travel after a holiday, because there's "more flexibility in terms of space, and it's better with your points to get a free upgrade, which for me was of optimal value."
And look for hotels that allow a 3 p.m. checkout. "If you've finished off, you've had a dinner meeting the night before, and you've booked a [plane] ticket for flexibility that doesn't go until 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon, the ability to have that room until 3, to be able to work there in the room conveniently, comfortably, to do follow-up is of enormous value."
Remember, it's all about justifying the expense. And if that means setting up a comfortable office away from the office, that may be justification enough.
Other tips for the business traveller:
Forget rental cars, unless you have to use them. Take a cab instead. "Car rental, in my opinion, is the worst waste of time that you can possibly have."
Consider the unusual. Mr. Lyons used to rent a wardrobe case at a hotel in London where he kept a selection of suits. "People would say, 'Why would you do that?'" The answer is extreme efficiency in terms of what he needed to carry on each flight.
Forget room service. "Most businesses right off the bat will tell you they will not pay for room service any more."
Eat at the hotel bar, not the restaurant. It's faster, often cheaper, the bartenders are a good source of local knowledge, plus you often get a free glass of wine out of it.
Prepare for a more detailed breakdown of expenses. Company expense reports and corporate credit-card receipts now tend to detail all expenses and taxes more precisely. "Some people say, 'That's being nosy.' I don't think it is at all," says Mr. Lyons.