If you look at the history of air travel [1] it&#x27;s clear that airplanes are the new busses.<p>Air-travel was essentially once reserved for the wealthy, and mostly white travelers but as more people moved up into the middle class there was increased demand for air-travel which drove competition to accommodate them. When southwest was born it completely changed the game and the race to the bottom started.<p>On one hand this has been great, as it has enabled everyone in the US to be able to fly and increased safety significantly. On the other hand, the &quot;elegance&quot; of air travel, which I think most people still desire, is basically gone in the US.<p>Asian carriers such as Emirates, Singapore etc... all maintain the elegant aspect, but at significantly higher costs because they are servicing the higher end still. You&#x27;ll notice that they have no US domestic equivalent.<p>Expect that eventually there will be no pretense of elegance and it will look exactly like ground transportation.<p>Interestingly enough, Amtrak has taken advantage of this and on the east coast at least is largely considered a better experience between the DC &lt;&gt; Boston corridor.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.fastcodesign.com&#x2F;3022215&#x2F;terminal-velocity&#x2F;what-it-was-really-like-to-fly-during-the-golden-age-of-travel" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.fastcodesign.com&#x2F;3022215&#x2F;terminal-velocity&#x2F;what-i...</a>