I often take Amtrak from Portland to Seattle instead of flying. Theoretically it is a short flight vs a four hour train trip, but consider that the train station is centrally located on both ends, and you can enjoy the decadent spaciousness of even a coach seat on Amtrak, while breathing nice fresh sea level air the entire time, and Amtrak wins easily.
I generally have bad sleeps when I’m staying in a luxurious bed at the Marriott or Hyatt. I cannot imagine that spending a night in something called a sleeping pod would end in anything other than me being up all night unable to sleep.
It needs to be possible for people to use public transport to get around, including between smaller destinations, otherwise you’re just completely abandoning the population who can’t drive.
We have plenty of examples of populist idiocy. Many folks never fly - I’ve actually only ridden an airplane 8 times. But the overall benefit to society is compelling and beneficial to society.
Sports stadiums can be similar, but modern clubs want facilities who luxury features exceeds what the government should provide.
Oil is made over millions of years and we’re on track to deplete it in under 200 years. We’ll never completely deplete it because the oil that’s left will be uneconomical to extract, but that’s functionally the same thing.
Regional airports are subsidized for good reason. Air ambulances, search and rescue, firefighting, disaster relief, and all sorts of public service work happens at regional airports. Nobody is sending organs for transplant via Greyhound. You’re not going to stage firefighting aircraft at SFO. You’re also not going to train student pilots at LAX.
Let’s not forget Watsonville California during the 1989 earthquake. https://youtu.be/qxCCcLUYP7Y?feature=shared
I used to fly disaster and public service relief flights — into Louisiana after a major hurricane — roads were flooded and impassible; but my Cessna T206 could get in bringing supplies — despite the New Orleans Airport being shut down for two days.
I’ve also flown countless Angel Flight missions, Pilots and Paws, and various support missions during the 2020 California wildfires. All using regional airports.
When governments stop paying for sports stadiums, sending money to pay for someone else’s wars, and subsidizing housing for people that are in the country illegally, EVs, and every other wasteful bit of government spending — then perhaps we might talk about regional airports.
The money the U.S. sent to Ukraine in just a single year could fund regional airports for decades. Eliminating waste fraud and abuse in the Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security system would fund regional airports for a lifetime.