Hydrofoils are sort of seaplanes? They just keep the wing in the water. And so don't have to deal with being not-so-great airplanes, so they can focus on being

Hydrofoils are sort of seaplanes? They just keep the wing in the water. And so don't have to deal with being not-so-great airplanes, so they can focus on being good boats. Starship might end up even more robust to weather than airliners. As are boats. But seaplanes combine the vulnerability of planes, with the those of poor boats. Taking off in a swell, is not a happy thing. I suppose SpX could hypothetically do JATO rocket-assisted seaplanes. :P But consider the number of passengers. And choices of flying formations of existing seaplanes for each launch, or "let's create a brand new large airliner, and make it a seaplane too!" (even without the seaplane bit, those can be 'bet the aerospace company' gambles), or... order some ferries. Maybe even rent them to start.