Tom Conophy likes to brag that he’s a billion-mile flyer.

The distinction isn’t that big of a stretch. Conophy, 47, is executive vice president and chief information officer for the InterContinental Hotels Group, and part of his job involves inspecting technology at some of the company’s 4,000 hotels around the world.

Conophy spends 14 to 20 hours on airplanes most weeks, heading everywhere from Atlanta to Dubai to Shanghai. He’s a million-mile flier on British Airways and is close to the million-mile mark on Singapore and Delta airlines. Earlier this year, he received a letter from American Airlines congratulating him on breaking into their unofficial three-million-mile club.

“To say I’m comfortable in an airplane would be an understatement,” says Conophy, an Army brat who is based in InterContinental’s Windsor, England, office. “I actually like turbulence, as it breaks up the monotony.”

Since Conophy spends so much time at 30,000 feet, he has developed a number of strategies for weathering the logistical turbulence of business travel.

“The process is all about making things less complicated” he says. “How can I pull everything together quickly? What combination of bags is going to be the easiest to lug around my destination? Everyone has a different system, but by asking questions like these, I’ve developed one that works for me.”

One key to maintaining sanity is using airline lounges. Conophy is a member of American Airlines’ Admiral’s Club and the Delta Crown Room Club. Because he flies British Airways so frequently, he also has access to that airline’s Terraces Lounge, though he isn’t glowing in his praise of its customer service.

As a U.S. citizen living abroad, he is a big fan of prescreened security services such as the iris recognition immigration system. This program, in operation at London Heathrow Airport, enables returning travelers to breeze through customs by submitting to a computerized scan of their eyeballs. Although many travelers have criticized the technology for poor reliability since it launched in 2006, Conophy has no complaints.

“In places like Heathrow, with 747 after 747 landing and dumping people off, even for residents, the lines at customs can get long,” he says. “With this, I land, and I’m at the baggage carousel in eight minutes—about as fast as I can walk it.”

When it comes to preparing for his trips, Conophy packs his green Victorinox—a brand he likes because it is light and durable and has tons of pockets—with one set of clothing consisting of a shirt, slacks, tie, socks, and underwear for each day on the road. He tosses in a toiletry bag prestocked with duplicates of all the grooming products he uses at home.

Though other business travelers warn against checking bags, Conophy always checks his suitcase to minimize hassle as he negotiates airports (beside, travelers are allowed only one carry-on for flights originating in London). He’s had only one lost bag since 2000.