JetBlue Exec Admits: Flying Can Be a Waste

It's not exactly a revelation, but it was still surprising to hear a JetBlue executive admit that it "may not make much sense" for travelers to fly short distances, writes Ariel Schwartz. "Maybe there’s a different mode of transportation that may be better to carry those customers from point A to point B," said JetBlue's COO at a travel conference.

He's right, of course, writes Schwartz at FastCompany. Planes waste an enormous amount of fuel on short trips, especially when compared to high-speed rail. The problem is that it's still more expensive and much slower to take the train from New York to Boston. That won't change for a while given that President Obama's "elaborate high-speed rail plan is still that—just a plan." Still, "when an airline COO tells us to start thinking about alternative modes of transportation, we should probably listen." (More JetBlue stories.)