Plane travel
Flying wins on raw speed and is often the only realistic option once a trip crosses an ocean or a continent. It's also the mode most people default to even when a train would actually get them there just as fast once you count check-in and transfer time.
Pros
- Fastest for anything over roughly 700km
- Only practical option for intercontinental and island trips
- Dense route network, easy to compare prices across airlines
Cons
- Airport transfers and security eat 2-3 hours you don't see in the ticketed flight time
- Baggage fees on budget carriers can double the real cost
- Highest CO2 per passenger-km of any mode covered here
Best use cases
- Long-haul and intercontinental trips
- Reaching islands or peripheral destinations with no rail link
- Time-constrained trips where a day or two matters
Environmental note
Short-haul flights under 1.5 hours are the least efficient use of a plane — if a train covers the same route in under 5-6 hours, it usually beats flying on total door-to-door time once airport transfers are factored in.
- Speed
- Fastest
- Cost
- Mid to high (budget carriers can undercut trains on price alone, before add-ons)
- Comfort
- Variable — economy is cramped, budget carriers charge for everything
- CO2
- Highest per km