Similar experience here. I'd always prefer it to flying.
Getting to the airport in most major cities takes an hour, and then there's the whole pre-flight security theatre, and the flights themselves are rarely pleasant. To add insult to injury, in the US it's usually a $50 cab ride to the airport and there are $28 ham-and-cheese sandwiches in the terminal if you get hungry.
In China and Japan the trains are centrally located, getting on takes ten minutes, and the rides are extremely comfortable. If such a thing existed in the US I think it would be extremely popular. Even if it was just SF-LA-Vegas.
> Getting to the airport in most major cities takes an hour
Do you mean beginning in the same city? If so, that's downright hilarious. I live 50 miles clear of the city, out in the middle of nowhere, and can be to the airport in the city in less than an hour.
> If such a thing existed in the US I think it would be extremely popular.
I don't know, if people willingly spend an hour getting from one point to another in the same city, the aren't apt to be concerned about how they get from one city to another. I expect they don't put much thought into anything.
Getting to the airport in most major cities takes an hour, and then there's the whole pre-flight security theatre, and the flights themselves are rarely pleasant. To add insult to injury, in the US it's usually a $50 cab ride to the airport and there are $28 ham-and-cheese sandwiches in the terminal if you get hungry.
In China and Japan the trains are centrally located, getting on takes ten minutes, and the rides are extremely comfortable. If such a thing existed in the US I think it would be extremely popular. Even if it was just SF-LA-Vegas.