These bosses feel that an airline is the best place to network, brainstorm or strategise over upcoming work projects.
From Dubai to Rio De Janeiro and Delhi to San Francisco, CEOs reveal the longest long-haul flights they’ve been on, for either work or leisure.
It’s World Tourism Day and if the urge to jump on a plane and discover a new place strikes you, we recommend avoiding these routes. Starting from 16 hours to 22 hours, these plane rides are not for the faint of heart.
However if you’re one of the few who find that an airline is the best place to network, brainstorm or strategise over upcoming work projects (like some of the CEOs on this list), we recommend bookmarking these long-haul routes.
San Francisco to Dubai “I took a non-stop 16 hour San Francisco – Dubai flight once. It was one of those rare flights where I watched 2 movies, enjoyed 2 meals and 10 hours of sleep!”,Ajinkya Firodia, MD, Motoroyale Kinetic told ET Panache during an interview.
Ajinkya Firodia, who travels abroad at least twice a quarter for work, always makes sure he adds a few days to his business trips to sightsee or shop.
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Firodia, who travels abroad at least twice a quarter for work, always makes sure he adds a few days to his business trips to sightsee or shop. Dubai to Rio De Janeiro "I usually avoid travelling for such long distances but when I do, I tend watch a lot of movies and browse through my phone's photo gallery to relive old memories which my busy schedule doesn’t allow me to do so otherwise," said Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS India, recalling a particularly long flight he boarded from Dubai to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for the Rio Olympics 2016.
Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS India usually avoids travelling for such long distances. Barcelona to Macau Bewakoof.com co-founder Prabhkiran Singh finds himself on a plane once a month. “Most of the travel is for pleasure and during the winters, attending weddings is the most frequent reason.”
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Asked if he remembered his longest flight, he said, “Totally, I can’t forget that day and night. I travelled from Barcelona to Macau via Moscow. Including the layover, it was a 24 hour long flight. Don’t know what I was thinking when I booked that one!”
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Japan to Chile As someone who flies three or four times a month for work and at least four times a year for holiday, Charles Frump, Volvo Car India MD, knows his way across the sky. His longest flight to date - Japan to Chile via Los Angeles.
As someone who flies three or four times a month for work and at least four times a year for holiday, Charles Frump, Volvo Car India MD, knows his way across the sky. Los Angeles to Doha “Since most long-haul flights out of India leave late at night, my #1 objective is to get some sleep” said MoneyTap co-founder Bala Parthasarathy, who uses a combination of hacks to ‘get the z’s’ such as cutting alcohol, using eyepatches, earplugs and taking a Melatonin (non-drowsy, non-addictive, sleep medicine).
Bala Parthasarathy uses a combination of hacks to ‘get the z’s’ such as cutting alcohol and using eyepatches.
However, an especially long long-haul flight from Los Angeles to Doha, Qatar left him at loose ends. “Qatar Airlines is a great airline but I realized I have claustrophobia and no matter how comfortable a flight is, I get really restless after a while. Walking around, sitting near a window, etc. helps.”
Delhi to San Francisco “I took a 17 hour, non – stop flight from Delhi - San Francisco which was the longest flight I have taken to date,” said Akshay Mehrotra, Cofounder, EarlySalary, who finds it difficult to sleep on flights. Instead, he uses the time to review work, draft presentations and chat up passengers.
Akshay Mehrotra, Cofounder, EarlySalary, finds it difficult to sleep on flights.
“(This particular flight) felt painfully long especially since I had to take a two-hour long connecting flight from Pune to Delhi also, which had a four-hour layover.” Tokyo to Detroit Travelling at least once a week for work, Randstad India CEO Paul Dupuis has an inflight routine down pat. “As soon as I am settled in my seat and during the preparation for take-off, I listen to 1980s rock. Once we have taken off and in the skies, I turn my attention to newspapers and business magazines. After the meal, it is time for movies and then a bit of sleep. On waking up, it’s more reading or games.”
Work At 30,000 Ft: How Vikas Oberoi, Roland Folger And Other CEOs Utilise Air-Time
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They travel around the world for work or leisure. But these business leaders know how to make the most of the hours they spend in an aircraft while travelling to faraway destinations:
They travel around the world for work or leisure. But these business leaders know how to make the most of the hours they spend in an aircraft while travelling to faraway destinations:
“I enjoy watching movies of various genres, likePK and The Wolf of Wall Street. I may also switch to reading on my Kindle. I enjoy reading inspirational books like The Lean Startup and The Art of War. As an entrepreneur, I feel this genre keeps me motivated, offers me the ability to think out of the box and appreciate multiple perspectives.”
(Text: Rohan Abraham)
“I enjoy watching movies of various genres, likePK and The Wolf of Wall Street. I may also switch to reading on my Kindle. I enjoy reading inspirational books like The Lean Startup and The Art of War..
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“Flight journeys, for me, are all about disconnecting from the world. I listen to my favorite music: Rock, funk, electronic dance music, and Indian fusion. Music by Metallica, Coldplay, Sigala, and the Indian Jam Project make me feel light and energised. Music helps clear my mind of entrepreneurial riddles, and lets me get closer to my younger self.”
(Text: Rohan Abraham)
“Flight journeys, for me, are all about disconnecting from the world. I listen to my favorite music: Rock, funk, electronic dance music, and Indian fusion. Music by Metallica, Coldplay, Sigala, and t..
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“I mostly try to catch up on sleep, especially on late-night flights. There is also a book in my bag to keep me company. Reading helps me relax. One travel hack that has always worked for me is to keep a blanket handy. I’d also suggest avoiding food on the flight, since it’s calories without much nutrition.”
(Text: Glynda Alves)
“I mostly try to catch up on sleep, especially on late-night flights. There is also a book in my bag to keep me company. Reading helps me relax. One travel hack that has always worked for me is to k..
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“I pray, read, sleep or listen to music, etc. I rarely talk to co-passengers. I like to use the quiet time to reflect on various things. I don’t watch movies on longer flights. If it’s a short flight, I watch portions of regional films: Tamil, Malayalam and Bollywood movies, but not the full movie.”
(Text: Shannon Tellis)
“I pray, read, sleep or listen to music, etc. I rarely talk to co-passengers. I like to use the quiet time to reflect on various things. I don’t watch movies on longer flights. If it’s a short fligh..
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“I rarely watch movies or read books on a flight. But when I do, I usually pick new Hollywood releases, especially suspense thrillers. Flight journeys are about winding down and recharging. I begin with a glass of champagne to celebrate this break without a cellphone. I then enjoy the company around me, eat, and catch up on sleep.”
(Text: Shannon Tellis)
“I rarely watch movies or read books on a flight. But when I do, I usually pick new Hollywood releases, especially suspense thrillers. Flight journeys are about winding down and recharging. I begin ..
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“Flying gives me an opportunity to relax, and I spend most of my time catching up on sleep and reading books. Of late, I have inculcated a new travel habit of reading about the city or country that I am flying to. From their local cuisine to history and culture, I try to learn at least two new things about that place, so that I can explore it in my leisure time.”
(Text: Glynda Alves)
“Flying gives me an opportunity to relax, and I spend most of my time catching up on sleep and reading books. Of late, I have inculcated a new travel habit of reading about the city or country that ..
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“I am mostly a solitary traveller. However, I recently met an 85-year old gentleman, who gave me good advice for my holidays in Sri Lanka. During a long flight, I alternate between a good book, music and TV or movies. Sometimes when I’m tired and don’t feel like reading, or watching something, I prefer listening to audio books on my phone. I recently had a chance to listen to Business Adventures by John Brooks, a classic collection of defining moments which provides entrepreneurs with priceless lessons in all areas of business.”
(Text: Shannon Tellis)
“I am mostly a solitary traveller. However, I recently met an 85-year old gentleman, who gave me good advice for my holidays in Sri Lanka. During a long flight, I alternate between a good book, musi..
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“I like to catch up on superhero movies that I might have missed. When I’m not at the office, I try to spend time with my wife and children so the only time I generally get to myself is on the plane. I know some bosses like to read while travelling (which I should try to do) but I find it more relaxing to watch Superman.”
(Text: Shannon Tellis)
“I like to catch up on superhero movies that I might have missed. When I’m not at the office, I try to spend time with my wife and children so the only time I generally get to myself is on the plane..
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“I tend to fly a lot for work. Much of my time is taken up with writing, or researching my historical books.”
(Text: Glynda Alves)
“I tend to fly a lot for work. Much of my time is taken up with writing, or researching my historical books.”
(Text: Glynda Alves)
Asked about his longest flight to date, he said “A 13-and-a-half hour flight between Tokyo and Detroit, plenty of time to go through my inflight routine!”
Delhi to New York “I am a chatty traveller. This is something I enjoy the most on a flight,” said Urban Ladder CEO Ashish Goel who travels at least 2 or 3 times a month. His longest flight to date: Delhi to New York.
Urban Ladder CEO Ashish Goel travels at least 2 or 3 times a month Delhi to San Francisco GoWork CEO Sudeep Singh’s longest flight was a 17.5 hours non-stop flight from Delhi to San Francisco. “I had to keep myself hydrated and kept walking around intermittently to keep my blood flow running perfectly.”
GoWork CEO Sudeep Singh’s longest flight was a 17.5 hours non-stop flight from Delhi to San Francisco.
This fit in perfectly with Singh’s inflight routine – networking with co-passengers over the bar. “It's always interesting to meet new people bound to the same destination as you, each one for a reason of their own.” San Francisco to Greece Ankush Gera, Founder, Junglee Games, who finds himself on the road at least 6 months out of the year, finds flights are the best time to optimise for work. Asked about his longest flight, he said, “I think Greece was a long haul. There is no direct flight from SFO (San Francisco) and it takes 22 odd hours to get there.”
Ankush Gera, Founder, Junglee Games, who finds himself on the road at least 6 months out of the year, finds flights are the best time to optimise for work.
