Well, when you consider that round trip tickets from the NY area to Chicago were going for $280 and now they are $360, the difference can make anyone think twic

Well, when you consider that round trip tickets from the NY area to Chicago were going for $280 and now they are $360, the difference can make anyone think twice, especially if you are doing this 3 or more times a year and for 2 ppl. The cost per person + car rental + gas + hotel costs add up to much more than the math for driving (even with hotel, car, and gas costs), such that driving, although slower, becomes a money saving option. I would think that most people travel within the country they live in, and mostly for vacation, so paying more money to get to the destination faster, is not a good option vs saving the $ and getting there a little later. Then business people don't care to be at a location earlier for longer, they just want to go do what they have to do and call it a day of work, even if they only actually worked 1 hr and traveled the rest. Unless emergencies or extreme situations, I do not see much incentive for people to want to pay more to be at a close location faster. This is somewhat of a bummer for ppl who would like to travel at high speeds, but think about it, it is definitely expensive.