Richard Robinson measures time differently from most people — not in weeks or months, but in boarding passes, seat numbers and time zones.

Last year, he spent more time traveling than he did at home.

And since 2010, he has logged 945 flights, covering 1,585,148 miles — or about 64 times around the world. He’s passed through 130 airports and flown on 35 airlines.

Of those flights, 521 have been in business class, 11 in international first, and a handful in private.

“It’s properly ridiculous,” Robinson tells CNN, having just returned from Seoul.

“I use a tracker, partially so my company knows where I am, but also so I can see everything from class to equipment, even down to the tail number.” His tracker of choice is web-based portal myFlightradar24.

Unsurprisingly, the 41-year-old holds United Airlines Premier 1K status — the airline’s highest published tier — which includes elite Star Alliance Gold status.

As the world’s largest airline alliance, Star Alliance members include United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Turkish Airlines and Air India.

But after more than 500 business class flights, Robinson is no longer dazzled by fine wines, cheese boards, designer linens or amenity kits. He’s not even particularly impressed by in-flight entertainment or fancy pajamas.

What matters most comes down to basics: the bed, the layout, the airflow — and whether there’s enough space for him to move around without knocking elbows or ankles.

But given business class flights cost an average of three to four times more than an economy class flight, if your company isn’t paying it can be a struggle to decide whether it’s worth the splurge. Here, Robinson offers in-depth advice on the issues travelers should consider before using their hard-earned cash or air miles to upgrade.

Robinson, who grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, started traveling regularly in 2010, when he took a role at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

From there, a mix of regional and international flights began to consume his schedule.

“At first, I was only doing East Coast travel, but I was rapidly promoted to Head of Integrated Solutions. From there, I was going to Hong Kong, London, Tokyo, Singapore — it never really slowed down.

“I used to joke that I had a ‘go bag’, because at my 10 a.m. meeting, they might tell me I have to be on a flight to Hong Kong at 3 p.m.”

Today, as the “chief evangelist” — a role more traditionally titled head of solutions — at Unqork, a New York-based enterprise software company, he continues to travel frequently for work, though now it’s planned farther in advance.

Even so, his calendar still fills up quickly with far-flung destinations.

“I started 2026 flying to Frankfurt right after New Year’s,” he recalls. “From there, I stopped in India for an annual visit with my team before heading to Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo and Seoul.”

For Robinson, who needs to hit the ground running on arrival, sleep is by far the top priority when he’s flying. Travelers with the same concern will want to make sure they do their pre-flight research.

“A lot of my international flights are red eyes, so a lie-flat seat for me is No. 1,” says Robinson.

“It makes a huge difference in how much jet lag you have when you arrive. If I can really rest, I am able to function immediately.”

The alternative can be miserable. On a long-haul from Tokyo to Washington DC several years ago, for instance, Robinson recalls spending 14 hours trying to get comfortable on what may as well have been a padded slide.

“ANA used to have these weird angled ‘lie-flat’ seats where you’re at like at a 170-degree angle — it was as if you propped up the headboard 10 inches higher than the footboard,” he recalls. “It was miserable. I never made that mistake again.”

After that flight, he scrutinized ANA seat maps to ensure he didn’t get stuck in a dreaded angled bed again.

Over time, ANA phased out those seats and now offers an extra-wide, fully flat seat dubbed “The Room,” which has quickly become one of Robinson’s favorites.

“It’s ultra-wide, like you could fit two people in there,” he says. “You can also close the door, so you can work without someone looking over your shoulder.”

In economy, waking a sleeping neighbor and scrambling to reach the aisle comes with the territory.

In business, though, travelers expect a bit more privacy. For those trying to work or sleep — not to mention older passengers who may need to move frequently, parents with children, or anyone who wants more privacy — a good seat layout can greatly improve the experience.

In older 2-2-2 or 2-4-2 seat layouts, only about half or two-thirds of passengers, respectively, have direct aisle access.

But newer 1-2-1 layouts — now increasingly common on international routes — aim to give every passenger direct aisle access, making it far easier to get up and move without disturbing anyone.

“I much prefer a 1-2-1 layout, where my legs are in a footwell, I’ve got an end table and enough width to feel like I’m in a cocoon,” he says.

That said, just because an airline offers all-aisle access doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will be comfortable.

“One of the reasons I don’t like to fly British Airways or Japan Airlines is that they have configurations that technically have aisle access, but the seats are so narrow that you don’t have an end table, and you’re right up against the person next to you,” he says.

“You just feel sort of claustrophobic.”

Another layout he “actively avoids” is Lufthansa’s business class on certain Boeing 747s and Airbus wide-body aircraft — like A330s, 340s, 350s and 380s — where the two middle seats are angled inward toward each other.

“Your feet actually share the same footwell, separated by what I can only describe as a 12-inch piece of plastic,” he says.

For anyone who moves in their sleep, that divider isn’t much of a barrier.

“I’ve woken up and realized I was touching the person next to me unintentionally,” he says. “I decided I don’t want to play footsie with a stranger. So I just won’t fly those seats again.”

It’s worth noting, though, that the airline is in the process of introducing its updated Allegris cabin designs on many of these aircraft, which are designed to offer more space and privacy.

Optimal airflow, humidity and noise

Like many people, Robinson has trouble sleeping when it’s too stuffy or hot, so he’s become attuned to aircraft types.

“Many Triple 7s don’t have personal air vents, so you can’t control your own temperature,” he says. “Especially on Asian airlines, they tend to run hotter in my experience.”

If given a choice, he’ll look for an Airbus A350 or a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“Not only do these aircraft usually have personal vents, but they are built from composite materials, so they tend to have a slightly higher humidity, which helps with dehydration,” he explains.

“And the way they design the engines makes them noticeably quieter.”

On the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the windows do not have traditional pull-down shades. Instead, they use a dimming technology to tint the windows electronically.

“If you’re someone who prefers a window seat, though, they do not totally black out the sun, and that can annoy people,” he notes.

After years of flying in business class cabins, a few airlines and specific cabins stand out for Robinson.

When pressed to choose a favorite, he teeters between ANA and Singapore Airlines, with the latter edging out.

They both offer excellent service, comfortable seats and direct aisle access, he says, but Singapore has the upper hand on dining.

On a recent flight to JFK from Singapore, he pre-ordered lobster thermidor through the airline’s “Book the Cook” program.

“In a world of ‘beef, chicken or pasta,’ it’s unusual to serve lobster … and to cook it properly at 35,000 feet, where your taste buds are dulled, makes it feel special,” he says.

On another flight, he pre-ordered the bak chor mee, where a dish of noodles with a mix of sliced, minced and fried pork was the “best plane food” he’s ever had.

Robinson also points to United’s Polaris business class as a turning point for the carrier’s premier cabin experience, and he’s particularly curious about the new “United Elevated” interiors.

Rolled out on the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 aircraft this spring, the redesigned cabin includes eight ultra-luxe Polaris Studio suites alongside upgraded Polaris suites with sliding doors, plus Starlink Wi-Fi, caviar service and 4K entertainment screens.

“With the older Polaris seats, the odd rows are good, but the even rows are angled into the aisle, giving you less privacy,” he says. “With the new design, it means almost every seat will be great, so now I won’t have to avoid half of them.”

Recently, he flew on one of Air India’s new Airbus A350-900s and was similarly impressed.

“It was an amazing experience — great air vents, brand new seats, comfortable beds … Yeah, this is the plane.”

For Robinson, these upgrades reflect broader shifts across the industry. Long-haul business class, he says, is in the middle of a quality arms race.

“Lufthansa is slowly getting rid of their footsie seats,” he says. “Swiss has always been a reliable option for me, despite a couple of window seats having a neighbor. EVA Air is introducing new cabins designed by BMW Group’s Designworks.”

The latter is an update he’s eager to try, even though the airline already offers a popular reverse-herringbone layout with a 1-2-1 configuration.

“Overall, there’s a lot of competition in the long-haul business class market,” he says. “So subpar experiences are being quickly replaced.”

Having flown global first class about nine times, Robinson understands the appeal: wider seats, greater privacy and a more spacious bed.

Business class cabins are often engineered so that the footwell narrows to fit the body’s shape — “sort of like a sarcophagus,” he notes — rather than a rectangle.

It’s nice to have extra space to sleep, he says, but he does not think it makes enough of a difference.

“It seems really silly to spend another $3,000,” he says.

“The food is pretty much the same, there’s a higher flight attendant ratio, the seats are wider … But unless you’re really that tall or you really can’t get comfortable with a business class seat, I don’t see it being worth it.”

On some Middle Eastern carriers, the difference between business and first can exceed $10,000.

“Yeah, it’d be cool to fly the Residence (Etihad Airways’ multi-room suite),” he says. “But what am I gonna do? I’m on a plane. I don’t need, like, a living room, a bedroom, a shower … I’m just trying to get somewhere. I’m not trying to live here.”

While global business class typically means free-flow drinks and lie-flat beds, domestic or short-haul regional business — more often called “first class” in the US — is another story.

“Unless you’re doing a transcon flight across the country, they’re all the same,” he says. “They’re all recliner seats.”

And sometimes, they don’t even offer a deeper recline.

“On a flight in Europe, I was in an economy seat, and the only difference was that the middle seat was just blocked off,” he says of his “business class” experience.

“So, I paid an extra 150 euros ($176), just to make sure the seat next to me was open, I guess. It felt like a rip-off.”

That said, business seats on US carriers tend to be wider and provide more legroom. For travelers who are taller, broader, pregnant, recovering from injury or simply want extra space, the bigger seat can still be worth it.

“I am a bigger guy, so I prefer to have that extra space. Otherwise, I am elbowing my neighbor constantly,” he says.

“If you’re smaller, though, you can reserve the second row window exit in economy, where you’ve almost got more leg room than business class, and save some money.”

Robinson takes a similarly pragmatic view of international business class.

If you’re traveling for work and are expected to step straight into meetings after landing, he believes the upgrade usually makes sense.

“It’s often worth it to your company who’s flying you there to ensure you can be rested and available, because time is money to them,” he says.

For leisure travelers who may have saved money or miles for a special occasion, the calculation becomes more personal.

“There’s a bucket of people who want to fly business for like a honeymoon or anniversary,” Robinson says.

“The question that I always pose to them is like, ‘Okay, look, you can pay $2,700 for an economy flight from New York to Tokyo or $5,700 for business, right? What is a better use of your money?’”

The roughly $3,000 difference is more than enough to fund several extra hotel nights, if time allows.

“You can try to sleep in a sub-optimal space for twice as much money or, if you have some flexibility in your schedule, give yourself more time to acclimate to a new time zone in a comfortable hotel once you’re there,” Robinson continues. “That’s the tradeoff.”

To avoid shared footwells, inaccessible aisles and sleeping on a slope, Robinson studies each flight’s seat map before booking.

“You can tell exactly what kind of plane you’re going to be on based on small details,” he says.

For example, ANA operates different variants of its 787-8s, and there’s a giveaway.

“If the business class has seven rows, it’s going to be a cradle-style seat — not a lie-flat. But if it has nine rows, it’s lie-flat,” he says.

“I have to get down to that level of nuance, because I can’t just trust that I’ll get on the flight and it will be a proper lie-flat.”

Next, Robinson turns to timing. “When I’m using miles, I book as early as possible, knowing there’s often late availability on better routes or at lower award rates.”

Many award tickets — particularly with carriers like United — can be canceled and redeposited without penalty. That allows him to lock in a solid option months in advance, then switch later if something better comes up.

“As long as you’re not booking overlapping flights, they’ll let you hold whatever you want,” he says.

He also prefers transferring credit card points directly into airline programs rather than redeeming them as cash through credit card platforms, where they often don’t go as far.

“It can get pretty complicated,” he says, adding that he uses Seats.aero, a search engine for reward travel, to maximize the value of his loyalty points and miles.

When booking directly with United, he uses the website’s “expert” mode to find premium economy fares with guaranteed upgrade redemptions.

“Since 1K and Platinum status holders get upgrade-specific points called PlusPoints, I use expert mode to see where United has instant-clear upgrade inventory, rather than getting put on a waitlist,” he says.

“If I’m on a waitlist and my upgrade doesn’t clear, then I’m stuck in economy on a flight to Asia, so I’m not going to gamble with that.”

For more casual travelers, his advice is straightforward: check the seat map, confirm the aircraft has lie-flat seats and easy aisle access, and use your miles or money in whatever way feels right.

Perhaps for you, that means a bigger seat and Champagne at 35,000 feet if that’s the priority. Other times, it’s extra time to adjust to a new time zone and explore on the ground.