Comment by phil21 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by phil21 | Hacker News Reader

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I can't imagine driving 6-7 hours vs. flying. As it is for especially tight schedules I can get up at 4:30am to catch a 6:00am flight, and be at a 9am meeting in downtown Chicago with 45 minutes to prep. That's including the 20 minute uber on the MSP side and 45 minute Blue Line ride to the loop. I can't remember the last time I spent more than 5 minutes in security on either end. Door to door is 3.5-4 hours pretty reliably.

I have colleagues that prefer to drive that, and I only do it if it's the last option available. For me, the driving is my full day and them I'm exhausted while taking a flight I can nap or do work - much less unproductive time.

I think a 4-5 hour one-day drive is about my limit before I'll look hard at flight options. I also don't mind taking a flight for work on my "own time" since I find the whole process rather peaceful and can just zone out reading/catching up on news. Driving you'll have to pay me :)

To each their own though - I know without precheck and being able to jump the standby list flying would be much more miserable. It's certainly a race to the bottom that's sad to watch.

But what if the car could drive itself? Would you prefer it then?

You are describing a very inefficient train ;)

IIRC the USA doesn't really do trains. Also, trains have public seating, which means they Can't Have Nice Things thanks to various anonymous assholes - in comparison, most people don't wreck their own car.

How much of that is the perception of anonymous assholes vs the real thing? American passenger trains used to have open sleeper cars, but not anymore, which is kinda sad because I don't want to have to choose between coach (uncomfortable) and roomette (expensive) on the LA/Chicago route.

> IIRC the USA doesn't really do trains

the US does a lot of trains, but generally for short distances on commuter corridors, and municipal light rail. we don't do high speed passenger rail, which is probably what you're thinking of.

No trains stop outside my house though ;)

Car seats are uncomfortable.

If a car could drive itself then you wouldn't need the rather-awkward driver's seat (plus the required visibility for driving), and you might be able to squeeze in an actual bed or couch-like thing.

Really? Compared to cattle class in an airline ..?

What the sibling said about noise and vibration, plus the fact that you are in the seat for less time (the rest of the time spent in airports, walking from point to point, standing in line, etc.), plus the fact that you can get up and walk around at any time (I always get aisle seats).

Yes, at least for me, it's not just the size, it's also the vibration. And while the noise is usually louder in the plane, its nature is somehow worse in the car.

Probably because jet engines operate smoothly at constant RPM so the sound is monotonous and gets tuned out quickly, whereas car engines operate roughly at low and wildly varying RPMs. It also depends on the car--a Toyota Yaris with a 4 speed auto (lol in 2016) would pretty awful, where as a Lexus LS600h with V8 and CVT would be very pleasant.

This comment is simply incorrect.

You can choose from literally hundreds of car seats when purchasing a vehicle, and I have never, ONCE been in a car seat less comfortable than the standard airline economy seats which, despite coming from different manufacturers across different airlines, are universally terrible. Flat as a board so you put pressure on your tailbone, no support anywhere, just terrible. I'd rather sit on a park bench.

Give me the option of paying $200 per ticket to sit in my car's seats on an airplane, I'd do it every time.

When comparing an 8-hour drive to an 8-hour door-2-door plane trip, only about 3-4hrs is actually spent in that economy class seat. And for all the discomfort of the seat, you can get up and stretch and walk around without crashing the vehicle.

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