On Topic: We’ll be traveling more for business this year

A cartoonist friend of mine tells of having been a passenger in a small plane that crashed and resulted in the loss of many of his front teeth.

A couple years later, when urged to take a two-seater flight for an urgent trip to meet a client, he protested and cited that accident. The pilot replied, 'What are the odds that could happen to you again?”

He concluded the odds were in his favor and agreed to get onboard. And of course - you saw this coming, right? - the plane crashed before they reached their destination, wiping out pretty much what remained of his original shiny smile.

Cartoonists by trade are inclined to embellish, and he does concede the good news is he lived to tell the tale. He also notes he's not been on a plane of any size since.

But honestly, is business travel - if you're not my cartoonist friend - truly so odious? We all have or have heard ominous stories about lost luggage, canceled flights, sleepovers at airports, unhelpful ticket-counter agents …

.

(Speaking of ticket counters, I once got trapped in the midst of an impromptu shoving match between frustrated, long-delayed passengers and frayed airline employees. Security officers were rushed in to separate combatants, and overall the occasion wasn't as entertaining as you might think.)

But most of the time these trips, at worst, are simply tedious, made up of tight legroom and dreary peanuts.

And a vast majority flights don't crash. They just don't.

Some larger hubs these days feature a quick-moving business-traveler security lane, for those of us who already know to remove our shoes.

In fact, Business Travel News reports some airlines and hotels have announced incentives that could make what's often perceived as an ordeal, well, less so.

Delta Air Lines, for example, said it will roll out new tiers this year, one of which, for 900-mile trips, will include dedicated overhead space and free beer and wine.

Hyatt Hotels said that as of this month it offers free basic Wi-Fi in every one of its venues, regardless of 'loyalty program participation.” At a certain 'membership” level, some guests can access a faster service.

Meanwhile, the Global Business Travel Association predicts 2015 will see a 6.2 percent rise in business travel. The (slow) climb of the U.S. economy and the (temporary) drop in oil prices worldwide could make travel more affordable, the organization said.

Keep in mind, though, that hotel and airfare prices are expected to increase a bit this year - the Washington Post, citing industry groups, says 5.7 percent for hotel stays and 2.5 percent for domestic-flight tickets.

Still, this could be the year we see more time in the skies contemplating the heavens - and maybe at the gate, too, staring at monitors that flash 'delayed, delayed, delayed.”

In any event, the odds are in our favor we will get where we need to go, more or less on time.

Most of us, that is, especially if my pal sticks to buses or driving himself. Car rental rates, the Post notes, shouldn't swell more than one percent.

' Michael Chevy Castranova is enterprise editor and Sunday business editor of The Gazette. (319) 398-5873; michael.castranova@thegazette.com