When the Hyperloop stuff first being hinted at, I assumed the trick was electrically accelerating gliders in a series of hops (avoid the biggest cost of rail -- the rails).
The fact is that energy efficiency is never not going to be a factor and air travel is actually plenty fast for most purposes. The big problem is cost and external friction (getting to/from the airport, on/off the airplane).
It's like saying "phone calls haven't gotten any better in the last 50 years" -- except for cost, convenience, ease of getting a connection (e.g. you used to need to book international calls and get an operator to connect long distance calls).
How is that like air travel? "convenience, ease of getting a connection" for instance - we've screwed that up at airports for a decade now (since 2001 of course).
Not plenty fast for most purposes. Takes a day of pain to get anywhere. Used to be, you could go and get back same day. That's a huge setback.
Air travel hasn't gotten faster but it's gotten cheaper, more convenient, and far more common. Your complaints about air travel pretty much disappear if (a) you're a frequent air traveller and get pre-clearance etc. and (b) pay more for tickets (e.g. business or first class and more direct flights). So your problems are comparing incredibly discounted commoditized products to a very expensive premium product.
There are high end air-taxi and virtual private jet services around now that are probably less expensive than buying lots of regular air tickets was back in the 60s.
Car phones date back to 1946 (yep, surprised me too). So all the petty inconveniences of phones could be solved by money a long time ago (e.g. by having a secretary).
Not fair - its hasn't gotten all three of those things. Its convenient only if it isn't cheap. Ditto for common.
I don't get that conclusion - flying used to be a very expensive premium product? Not 20 years ago - ticket prices haven't changed all that much since then, at least out here in the Midwest far from any hub. I pay the same to get to the coast as I paid in the 90's to get home from school at the coast.
The fact is that energy efficiency is never not going to be a factor and air travel is actually plenty fast for most purposes. The big problem is cost and external friction (getting to/from the airport, on/off the airplane).
It's like saying "phone calls haven't gotten any better in the last 50 years" -- except for cost, convenience, ease of getting a connection (e.g. you used to need to book international calls and get an operator to connect long distance calls).