Mike Robinson at Auckland Airport just before embarking on an around-the-world trip attempting a new record. Video / Mike Robinson
The record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe through scheduled flights hasn’t been broken in almost 25 years, but on January 25, Australian Michael Robinson embarked from Auckland Airport on a quest to do just that. Varsha Anjali speaks to Robinson about what drove him to attempt the feat.
Many people train consistently for years when they attempt to break a world record. All Michael Robinson had to do was sit back on five planes, watch movies, and eat the food handed to him.
On Tuesday at 3.52am, Melbourne resident Robinson returned to Auckland Airport, where he started his aerial expedition more than two days earlier.
The 65-year-old had just completed an around-the-world trip to break the world record for the fastest circumnavigation by scheduled flights between exact antipodal points - locations diametrically opposite each other on the globe.
“I’ve really just sat around watching movies and have people bring me food,” Robinson told the Herald.
Starting Saturday afternoon, he travelled from Auckland to the John F Kennedy International Aiport in New York City on a Qantas flight, then to Madrid–Barajas Airport and Málaga Airport with Iberia Airlines, before heading to Doha International Airport to return to Auckland Airport on Qatar Airways.
At Fuente del Duque, the antipodal point in Spain. Photo / Michael Robinson
The journey, which was completely paid for through Robinson’s Qantas frequent flyer points, took 58 hours and 57 minutes - more than three hours faster than the current record, which has been held by two Brits since 2000.
While Robinson said he has ”no concerns" he has broken the world record, it remains only an “attempt” at doing so - for now.
The Guinness World Records told the Herald they will need to review the evidence before confirming whether or not Robinson has broken the record. According to Robinson, this is expected to happen in about a week.
Many people find flying long-haul in Economy Class uncomfortable. Thankfully, the physical and mental agony is typically offset by the anticipation of reaching a new destination.
On the fourth flight from Málaga to Doha. Photo / Michael Robinson
But what if there is no new destination? What drives a person to fly for days (including airport transit time as “fly” time here) in an unnatural position, cramped up with strangers - to end up where they started? There is no holiday. There is only the promise to return to ordinary life.
Sure, there is a reward: everyone will know you achieved a world first. Did that even matter to Robinson?
“It started out as mild curiosity for me,” explained Robinson, who travels a lot for work as a professional in the tech industry and is a self-professed “travel geek” always looking to maximise his frequent flyer points.
When Robinson saw the record for the fastest circumnavigation through scheduled flights was last broken nearly 25 years ago, he thought it was “crazy”.
“You could easily do that now,” Robinson said, taking into account the new and faster travel routes since the noughties.
“I’ve got no professional or personal gain out of this. It was just a bit of a laugh over a long weekend to actually set it,” he added.
“Unlike other world records, I didn’t have to go into years of training or didn’t have to run a marathon ... it’s really only doing double what people do every day of the week - there are people flying from Auckland or Melbourne or Sydney to Europe and I just had to do that and then come back again.”
Remarkably, there were no flight delays and all the transfers went smoothly for Robinson.
“I was very fortunate.”
On why he chose Auckland Airport as his start and end point, Robinson said it geographically lined up with Spain (as the other antipodal point he had to pass) and the airport has “some of the longest flights in the world”.
“Auckland is better connected in that sense,” he said.
In a social media post celebrating Robinson’s feat, Auckland Airport wrote: “AKL was a perfect start and finish point for Mike’s record attempt, with two flights in the top 10 longest flight routes heading in different directions – AKL to JFK and DOH to AKL."
While Robinson has no personal connection to New Zealand, he does believe that Auckland Airport is “one of the nicest, best airports in the world”.
“It’s easy, it’s clean, it’s nice and [has] good facilities ... it’s a great little place to have transits and turn around.”
Providing evidence for breaking a world record is a somewhat comprehensive, yet simple process. Robinson explained to the Herald that he first had to register with the Guinness World Records to let them know he was attempting it.
“And then they send you a whole thing of rules, including the evidence that needs to be collected, and I guess the key point to that is that you need independent witnesses.”
Robinson said he prepared a sheet for each leg of his journey and got two people to sign off at each point. On flights, sometimes it was the pilots and senior cabin crew signing.
He booked all his flights under Oneworld Alliance, a global airline alliance comprising 13 member airlines, and they were “interested” in getting involved shortly after their 25th anniversary in December.
“So that made it really easy. As I got into each flight ... they all knew [about the situation] before I got there.
“They were all quite excited by it,” he said.
The current record is held by two Brits, Brother Michael Bartlett and David J Springbett, who completed an antipodal circumnavigation of the globe on scheduled flights between March 18 and 21, 2000.
In total, they covered 41,010km on their journey between London, Seoul, Auckland, Palmerston North, Ti Tree Point, Palmerston North, Auckland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Madrid and London. It took them 62 hours and 15 minutes.
When Robinson finally arrived home in Melbourne at 8am on Tuesday, he said he was very happy to lie down on his bed.
