One of the problems with writing this column—or any column on virtually any business topic—is that the columnist inevitably feels compelled to cover "big" topics and the "important" story. We (justifiably) think we have a responsibility to explain the greater sweep of events and tell you what it all really means.

The problem with that logic, especially when you write about life on the road? Business travel is an essentially selfish exercise. As much as we may be concerned about the business of business travel because we are businesspeople, our personal comfort and productivity trumps all. And sometimes those small details fall through the cracks or don't rate columnar pontification.

So this week let me turn the column completely to your concerns. What follows are distillations of the most frequent questions I get about business travel from other business travelers. The only common thread? They are less concerned with how the travel industry works and more concerned with how the workings of the travel industry affect your personal travel decisions.

Q: Why can’t airlines do something to get us on planes faster?

A: One airline does use the fastest boarding procedure, and a lot of business travelers hate it. Time-and-motion studies repeatedly prove that Southwest Airlines' no-assigned-seat approach to boarding is the quickest, most efficient way to load an aircraft. Airlines that assign seats (something most business travelers prefer) have tried all of the other options to cut boarding times and maintain relative calm. Traditional back-to-front boarding and the relatively new "zone" approach—travelers are grouped by elite status as well as by location on the aircraft—are currently the most popular approaches. Some carriers have even tried boarding passengers by seat type: first the window seats, then passengers in the middle, and finally occupants of the aisle seats. Another complication when you have assigned seats: regional and cultural preferences. Business- and first-class passengers in the United States like to be first on the plane, but up-front flyers in Europe and Asia like to be the last to board.

Q: Why don't hotels give you 24 hours of occupancy when you book a room?

A: The flip answer is that you technically book guestrooms by the "night," not by the day. Hotels traditionally set check-in time at 3 or 4 p.m. and checkout time between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The hours in between are used to clean and prepare the room for the next night's guest. But hotels are slowly changing policies—for better and for worse. Some properties, especially top-flight hotels in major Asian gateway cities, offer travelers a "24-hour stay." In recognition of the fact that aircraft from Western Europe and North America arrive very early in the morning local time, these hotels permit travelers to check in at any time, then check out 24 hours later. Some U.S. airport hotels offer a similar scheme. However, some hotels now cut operating costs by outsourcing housekeeping operations. Contracted cleaners come only at specific times so hotels insist that guests observe the stated check-in and checkout times. The inflexibility destroys the traditional practice of honoring traveler requests for early check-in or late checkout.

Q: Is it legal to buy and sell frequent-flyer miles and awards?

A: You'd think it would be since airlines claim you've "earned" the miles and awards in exchange for your loyalty and paid for them with your patronage. To most of us, selling miles or awards we've earned seems no different than reselling a car or a home or anything else we've purchased. But airlines have explicit restrictions against mileage or award sales in the terms and conditions of their programs. Court rulings have overwhelmingly supported the airlines' right to impose those restrictions too. If an airline catches you selling miles, it could confiscate your remaining credit and close your account. If it catches you traveling on what is calls a "brokered" award, it will void your ticket. Does this mean that no one buys or sells miles? Of course not. Although the practice is not as rampant as it was in the 1980s, in the heyday of "ticket brokering," there are many ways to do it. Google a search term such as "sell my frequent-flyer miles" if you're looking for more information.