Niels Steenstrup, Vice President-Sales and Marketing for the in-flight Internet provider Aircell, is a two-million-mile flyer. Following is his take on the film and the frequent traveler lifestyle.


1. Do you think the movie accurately reflects the business traveler's lifestyle? What rang especially true, and what didn't?

For me, the idea of the perfectly systematized life is all too familiar, where the daily challenge includes optimizing the security line to arrive at the gate three minutes before takeoff -- that, and those circular fields that appear somewhere in the Midwest.

Unfortunately, in "real" life, AA MD-80s don’t have twin aisle, three-class, 777 first class cabins, although I wish they did! Oh, and the lack of Gogo® Inflight Internet in the airplane scenes.

2. Can you share any tips (or products/services) you have discovered to travel more efficiently or enjoyably?

Besides the benefits of Inflight Internet, my Tumi T-Pass Check Point Friendly backpack enables me to pass through security without removing my laptop, easing the travel experience – and no, I do not have stock in Tumi.

3. How do you stay connected during business travel?

Gogo® Inflight Internet obviously plays a huge role and viewers probably noticed the Gogo kiosk at the Alphatech conference in the movie.

Prior to Inflight Internet access, I would spend hours after a flight catching up on email I received while en route. Being able to correspond with colleagues in real-time is a real benefit for the business traveler. A customer actually just told us that he was able to sign the offer papers for his retirement home while using Gogo (and DocuSign technology). Now that's pretty neat; he and his wife were worried about traveling for their 25th wedding anniversary during a critical negotiation period and were elated that their flight had Gogo access. That says something about the real immediacy of business these days and the benefits of connectivity at 35,000 feet.

4. How do you assess whether technology-assisted interaction (videoconference, phone, email) or face-to-face interaction with an employee, customer or colleague is in order? In other words, how do you decide when to travel?

I base travel plans on the purpose/topic of the meeting, the number of participants and how well they know each other. For example, if the focus is sensitive or related to a complex topic (i.e. organizational discussions, negotiations), a meeting to kick off an initiative with new participants, or a meeting with many attendees, I opt to meet in person. I also find that to build new cross-cultural relationships, it is particularly effective to travel to cement those relationships. In these instances, technology-assisted interactions can be leveraged later, once the parties have a solid, personalized experience. Of course, if I am in-flight, I choose Gogo® Inflight Internet to assist my interactions.