E-MAIL CHRIS   PRINT   2008 COLUMNS   ARCHIVES   SEARCH ARCHIVES THREE WEEKS A MONTH ON THE ROAD By Chris Barnett November 13, 2008 -- The stock market has collapsed and businesses are rapidly ratcheting back their T&E costs. But the president of a Los Angeles software company, who's on a plane three weeks a month, is not cutting back. He's flying more. Michael Macho, who heads Mobile BIS, is like a fire horse. He can get a call at six at night from the chief executive of a prospective customer in Toronto and will be up at 3 a.m. the next morning to catch the first flight out of Los Angeles International. He says it wows the boss of the potential customer when the president shows up the next day to present the company's wares. "You forge a relationship with top executives that you can't do with a conference call or an expensive videoconference," he explains. "It makes a big impact and often wins you the business. Plus, I like the spontaneity." Mobile BIS designs software that can automate a company's manual operations from handheld wireless mobile devices like BlackBerrys, Palms or Psions. In tech jargon, it's called an "enterprise solution." But Macho says you have to be enterprising and organized on business trips, too. As a full-time road soldier, Macho flies many carriers, but his preference is American Airlines, where he is a top-level member of the AAdvantage frequent flyer program. "American flies to the destinations I need to get to." Besides, he adds, American offers its super-elite customers "a special phone number for tickets and special security lines and my bags come off first." He buys full-fare coach tickets and is almost always upgraded to business or first class for his loyalty. Macho is a flying office. He carries a Dell laptop and a BlackBerry, both loaded with files that he needs for the trip. (He also carries paper backups.) He prefers sitting on the aisle, doesn't eat on flights, but might have a glass of wine. Above all, for an intense, focused personality, he says that he doesn't stress out while traveling. Example: Most business travelers gripe about being nickled, dimed and dollared nonstop by airlines. But Macho doesn't. "When you're dealing with a profit-and-loss sheet of a young company, you're more empathetic when the airline charges extra to recoup their fuel and other costs that have been climbing beyond their control," says. "I don't really mind paying $15 to check a bag." In fact, Macho considers long flights in business or first class a chance to do some market research. "I listen to my customers and my employees and, traveling in the front, you are usually sitting next to a high-level businessperson," he says. "In conversation, I learn from them." The Mobile BIS president is an Admirals Club member and deems it his wisest investment on the road. Flying American, he often connects through the carrier's Dallas-Fort Worth hub, known for storms, delays and longish connection times. "If I had to walk around the airport for two or three hours, it would drive me crazy. I want to be productive. In the club, I take a shower and a short nap and I can work." Macho walks the fine line between spending for productivity and saving for economic purposes. His assistant books flights on Cheaptickets.com and rooms on Hotels.com. "We don't stay at grandiose hotels, usually a Courtyard by Marriott, Holiday Inn, Best Western--as long as it has a business center and WiFi." But he always rents his cars from Hertz because he likes the speedy service for Number One Gold members--waiting in long lines at car-rental counters is "crazy-making"--and always reserves a vehicle with a GPS system so he can punch in his destination and get directions. His parting shot: "Put some R&R into your business trip and eat authentic food." In Washington, for instance, he hikes, sightsees and once took a tour of the White House. In Birmingham, Alabama, he eats barbecue at Sneaky Pete's Cafe. "It's better than anything I can find in California."

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is syndicated by Creators Syndicate. THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett. This column is Copyright © 2008 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.