I remember 20 years ago, I used to drive a lot. On trips of 300 to 600 miles, the cost of driving alone and the cost of flying were pretty much the same, and it came down to a matter of schedules and convenience. Nowadays, air travel is so cheap the cost of a ticket won’t even cover the gas you car will burn, much less all the other operating expenses.
… the cost of driving alone and the cost of flying were pretty much the same …
20 years ago I was a cab driver. It wasn’t unusual for people to take a cab from the Hampton Roads area to such places as Miami, New York or Atlantic City. The cost of the cab wasn’t much different than the cost of flying (with 2 or 3 people) and a lot more convenient. Even travel time was comparable.
If flying you’d take a cab to the airport (or trust the airport parking lot to provide security for your car), wait in lines, wait for baggage, take another cab from your destination airport to where you were going. If a longer flight it include changing planes at a hub airport. A taxi provided curb to curb service and your baggage accompanied you the entire time.
I think a market exists for a big turboprop aircraft capable of flying the 300-600 mile routes efficiently. The turboprops can cruise efficiently at lower altitudes and can spend less time in climbing and decending routes. It might add 20 minutes to a 80-minute flight, but the fuel cost would go way down.