The 3-3-3 Challenge: How a frequent flyer networks from Asia to the U.S.

In-flight networking is a growing trend among the business set. How does traveling make it different from networking on terra firma? All Nippon Airways (ANA) invited Karl Chong – angel investor, co-founder of Groupon (Singapore) and a seasoned networker – to discern the differences.

We connected him business class from Singapore to Tokyo and flew him to New York on one of ANA's nonstop services from Tokyo to ten cities in North America, which also includes Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Vancouver and Washington D.C. These routes come with a wide variety of connecting times, giving the business traveler a broad range of departure and arrival schedules to choose from.

On this journey that took him from Asia to U.S. almost as quickly as a direct flight on account of a short transit in Tokyo, we tasked Karl to meet people from three nationalities, three industries, across three locations, and to share his observations on what we've come to call the 3-3-3 Challenge.

This is his account.

"Every good networker knows that timing and opportunity are what gets you a conversation with someone you want to meet for business. While that should be no different when you're traveling for business, the 3-3-3 Challenge got me thinking: many things that happen when you fly, happen in a routine. Two to three hours ahead of your flight, you're checking in your luggage at the airport. Between that and boarding , you're most probably relaxing in the airport lounge. You can identify what the right timings are even before you take the trip, and where the good opportunities lay – I used this knowledge to pre-plan my networking journey.

The best time for networking is the hour or two before the captain pilots you back to firm ground. The cabin lights are fully turned on and you've just finished a wonderful meal. People are awake and generally happy at this time. Case in point, my neighbor on the flight to Tokyo.

He was sound asleep most of the flight, no surprise considering that the business class seats fully recline to become a flat bed. It was only when we were descending that he was finally bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I jumped at the opportunity to small talk. I casually remarked that he looked like he had a great sleep. That kick started a pleasant chat, and I quickly discovered he was a Greek commodities trader, traveling to Japan to see clients.

This usually happens right before descent on short-haul flights, and midflight on long-hauls. It's when the ever-smiling cabin attendant walks over the disembarkation/embarkation and customs declaration forms to you – the time when most people start feeling around for a pen. For the serious networker, this is your cue.

On the New York flight, I asked to borrow a pen from the passenger seated across the aisle. By the time I returned the pen, I was well on my way to finding out that this passenger is an independent trader from Toronto and living in New York. We even had a good talk about trading strategies and schools in the Big Apple (a mutual topic because we're both parents).

ANA is known for omotenashi, or the spirit of Japanese hospitality. But I'm not making a sales pitch here. What I am making is a networking opportunity out of omotenashi.

Whether by nature or by training, the cabin attendants seem intuitively attuned to the needs of the business class passenger. So before I approach one of my in-flight neighbors to network, I would first observe how they interact with the passenger. Say an attendant comes by to offer him a glass of Hibiki without going through the rest of the drinks on the menu with him, I would assume she knows he's a whisky lover and I would prepare to frame my conversation starter around the topic of whisky.

I didn't get a chance to exercise this networking tactic, but it's worth highlighting because a good networker knows how to leverage context to create conversation.

The airport lounge is a natural networking hotspot. People of different nationalities from all walks of life congregate here. It's where the weary traveler comes to find food, shower and rest – fertile hunting ground for the networker.

I stepped into the ANA Lounge at Haneda Airport just after 6 a.m. The lounge was relatively quiet at this time of day, so I was lucky that a fellow traveler decided to take the seat right next to me. The relaxing mood played to my advantage and I struck up a conversation with the man. He didn't seem too keen on the small talk at first, but opened up once I shifted the topic to business. With some people, this is key: they'd rather talk shop than about their personal lives. He ended the conversation with an invitation to re-connect on business matters, post our flights.

The noodle bar at the ANA Lounge is also great place to position yourself. Here, people make an order for a piping hot bowl of ramen, take a number and wait a few minutes for their noodles to be ready. These precious few minutes could earn you a new business contact. In my case, I connected with a travel executive from Japan.

Altogether I networked with four persons in the airport lounges across Singapore and Tokyo. They also included a Singaporean lawyer from the oil and gas sector and a Buddhist monk from Colombo on his way home from Japan. It was especially interesting to meet the latter. With his orange robes, it is clear that he isn't from the Zen school of Buddhism that is widely practiced in Japan. Yet, he had just been to the country to discuss the building of a new temple in Hiroshima. Fascinating.

Surprisingly, the simple act of standing in line can be a networking opportunity in itself. ANA boards its passengers in an orderly manner by lining them up according to cabin classes at the departure gate. Here, you stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow business class travelers, locked together in the same space for a few minutes of inactivity, unless of course, you're networking.

I was lining up to board the flight to New York when I noticed a fellow passenger using the Google Pixel. I have the same smartphone and given that it's brand new to the market, I jumped on the chance to ask him how he liked it. We went on trade advice and then some. He told me he's a New Yorker, and was planning to move into a new neighborhood. I happen to live in this neighborhood and we had a good conversation about this.

The rules of engagement that apply on the ground also apply up in the air. While there are no lack of general advice floating on the internet, here are some tips I've picked up over years. You may find them useful.

In total, I connected with people from seven nationalities, six industries and did it across five locations. Success was the result of two things. Firstly, leveraging the right timings and opportunities as outlined above, and secondly, ANA.

Thanks to its fully reclinable business class seat, I was able to get a solid night's sleep and keep my energy levels up for the challenge. It's also thanks to ANA's impressively crafted Japanese meals that I was able to keep my mood uplifted throughout. My journey was certainly made more fruitful with these factors added to the mix."

Karl