Travelling for business was a lot more fun in the 1960s and 1970s. Business folk would sweep along wide, uncrowded roads to empty out-of the-way places such as Heathrow, where, after a couple of relaxed pre-flight sharpeners in the airport lounge, they boarded their planes without having to take their shoes off.

Back then, the flight was probably the worst part of the journey. Now, it’s the best. The pre-flight queues and congestion at airports are putting people off travel. So, what can today’s time-pressed, stressed executives do to make the journey between home and plane as tolerable as possible? Basically, the pre-flight ordeal should be tackled in two parts: the trip to the airport and the experience while there.