Financial Times management columnist Lucy Kellaway described a revolutionary way to change business travel in her insightful and witty article "A sensible alternative to business travel" (if you don’t have FT subscription - read full version here).

After describing all the horrors of business travel in modern times, Ms.Kellaway explains the real reason for business travel - "There is one big thing that keeps business people orbiting the earth - and that is escape. [...] Office life has become such a dysfunctional mess of meetings and  interruptions that the best hope of a decent day’s work is to be found in a metal chamber 30,000ft above the world’s surface."

Comments from practically all of my colleagues have totally confirmed the real reason for the business travel. Airplane seems to be the only place to reply to your emails, review documents or do some other productive work.  The only alternative up to this day has been booking a meeting with yourself.

So I won’t be surprised if soon we’ll see the ads of "virtual airlines"