Before the travesty flying has turned into domestic flying wasn’t a thing in Germany too. Every car maker from cheap to the luxury ones traditionally offered hot-rod v8 station wagons. The main purpose for it was to replace short to mediul haul flying.
Quite honestly, I have avoided flying because of the time and cost required. Getting to the airport is difficult, parking is expensive. You need to get to the airport about 2 hours before your flight which (for me) often means waking up a 3 or 4 AM. Airports have become zoos (especially the TSA line where you have to undress) and airline cost cutting has not helped. The latest wrinkle is the anxiety you feel when you don’t know if they’ll make you check your carry on or not. It really only makes sense these days if your destination requires 8 or more hours of driving.
I used to fly 100,000 miles per year and rather dislike flying now.
My local airport in Montana added 233,000 seats last year and filled them all, so I guess lots of folks are flying...
I’ll echo what other people have said. I only fly if Drive or train travel time is over 8 hours. Airport security, parking fees, transportation costs and time at the airport make it too costly and too much of a hassle. Airplane seats and space are too small for my frame. I don’t like being treated like a potential terrorist. Flying the friendly skies is a thing of the past.