> It's also about saving a night's worth of hotel/accommodation money
How so? By flying, you can leave home a day or more later, and still get to your destination the same time.
Train case: Monday morning, leave your house and get on a train. Monday night, sleep on the train. Tuesday evening, get off the train at your destination and check into a hotel.
Plane case: Tuesday morning, leave your house and get on a plane. Tuesday evening, get off the plane at your destination and check into a hotel.
Either way, the first night you're paying for a hotel is Tuesday night. And it's not like you save on rent money by leaving home a day early.