WorldCity Business Magazine

Sky Warrior

by Mary Dempsey

*Five-million-mile man *

Gene Tyndall knows the planet well. He’s lived in four countries, traveled in 40 and he’s been a Sky Warrior for 25 years. Since 2003, he’s been hitting the road for his own company, Supply Chain Executive Advisors, a global firm that helps businesses improve their supply chains. He takes off on a business trip nearly every week averaging about 200,000 frequent flier miles annually. When he led Ryder System’s global supply chain solutions business and during his 18 years with Ernst & Young’s global supply chain management practice, Tyndall flew about 300,000 miles a year. He has racked up more than 5 million frequent flier miles on the quartet of carriers he’s most likely to use.

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What do you do with all those frequent flier miles?

I’ve done some exotic destinations Hawaii and Tahiti but most of the other trips have been for business. Also, many upgrades.

Where are you most likely to travel?

All over North America … and to South America, Europe and Asia.

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Do you have a favorite destination?

Japan is a favorite for business, as are Brazil, Western Europe, Singapore and, now, Shanghai. Shanghai is truly amazing.

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What about a favorite hotel?

I prefer Four Seasons hotels. They are always business friendly especially those in London, Milan and Singapore.

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Any strange experiences with Customs or immigration?

Once in San Francisco, a Customs agent challenged a new Rolex watch. The passenger claimed it was a fake. After repeated challenges and denials, the agent smashed it. The passenger cried. Another time, a Customs agent tore up Cuban cigars, one by one. I protested but when the agent threatened to search my luggage I had some hidden I apologized quickly.

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How do you kill time in the air?

Flight time is great for reading and writing. I have co-authored four books and written hundreds of articles, all on flights or in airports. Long flights enable me to catch up on magazines and paper work.

What kind of books do you write?

Business books on supply chain management or logistics. The last one, Supercharging Supply Chains, is still selling after seven years. An earlier one was Corporate Profitability and Logistics, which was translated into Japanese. My partner and I have just started a new book, which we’ll write the same way during travels. We hope to have it completed in 2006.

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Do you have a favorite airport?

Schiphol and Singapore. Schiphol Airport is the most diversified in the world, with indoor golf, massages, libraries, good shopping, bars and restaurants, Internet rooms… The Singapore Airlines lounge is unmatched.

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What about U.S. airports?

Every airport has some redeeming feature, but the U.S. airports in general lag behind the internationals in food and other amenities. Chicago’s O’Hare is probably the most challenging due to frequent delays caused by weather and simply too many flights.

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Your cell-phone service?

Cingular, with international service. It doesn’t work everywhere in the world, but today service is hugely improved over10 years ago when you were isolated, especially in rural factory locations or in places like China.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve experienced on a business trip?

This goes back some years, during the first Gulf War in the early ‘90s. Airports in Europe were guarded by tanks and soldiers with automatic weapons, and very few people were flying. I had flights with only two or three of us on board, including one from Frankfurt to Boston!

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Any pet peeves on the road?

When you travel as much as I have, you learn not to let little annoyances bother you. But I guess the one thing that is most difficult to accept is the continuing deterioration of service by U.S.-based airlines.

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What’s the most difficult part of traveling so much?

Maintaining any kind of stability in one’s home.

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What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened on a flight?

I once experienced an engine fire over the Pacific. Because of the fire, a frightened person had a heart attack. The captain asked if a doctor was on board and 100 nurses went to his aid. They were returning from an international nurses convention.