AIR MILES

Most unusual place you’ve been?

It’s hard to pick one, but Djibouti, Tajikistan and Yakutsk in Russia stand out. In Yakutsk, my boss ordered a dish consisting of frozen pieces of fish. It was absolutely disgusting.

You’ve flown 290 airlines. Any highlights?

In February 2015, I flew on Canadian airline Buffalo Airways’ Douglas DC-3 from Yellowknife to Hay River in the Northwest Territories. That aircraft had been active during World War II. In 2014, I also flew the world’s shortest scheduled passenger flight lasting around one minute between Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.

What is the most important thing about airline service to you?

I’m always curious to see any airline’s product at least once, but think it’s crazy when people obsess about things like amenity kits. You can get that kind of stuff from a dollar store. I guess it boils down to reliability, short waiting times and predictable processes – and customer service should be smooth.

Top travel tips?

If travelling in places like Jakarta or Manila, for safety and reliability you might want to book taxis through specific recommended companies rather than finding one at random. In China, if you're not a Mandarin speaker, you definitely want a hotel pick-up from the airport.