Wanting a holiday in Italy is a compelling reason (for consumers). My point is that it's more rational to fly somewhere than to spend much longer traveling by s

Wanting a holiday in Italy is a compelling reason (for consumers). My point is that it's more rational to fly somewhere than to spend much longer traveling by slower methods. If you want to take a vacation on a different continent, trying to go there and back by ship will consume all your available time. The existence of air travel is its own incentive; every time someone looks up and sees a plane in the sky, it's a reminder that they could fly somewhere. Flight advertising is just about market share, ie which airline will you choose for the flight you already want to take.