Air Travel is the Only Acceptable Mass Transportation
For some reason we accept any number of limitations when travelling by airplane than we do any other transportation. For example, we get upset that we don't have GO trains travelling every hour (or more frequently!) from Kitchener to Toronto, but we are perfectly willing to get up early in the morning and show up at an airport two hours before our flight to check in.
As another example, when plane flights are delayed or cancelled we often demand special treatment for the layover. Airlines will sometimes put people in hotels if their flights are cancelled. I once received a VIA rail voucher for a train that was delayed, but I think for most train and bus trips people are expected to manage on their own.
I do not know that people like being nickel-and-dimed when they fly, but I am pretty sure they would not put up with similar service charges on mass transit, even for long train trips.
I think one reason we treat air travel differently is that people travelling by airplane treat their trips as special occasions, not routine travel.
Another reason is that airplanes are one of the few forms of mass transit that cater to rich people. Subways and buses are full of the Poors who can't afford to drive. Air travellers are usually more well off, so maybe it is no surprise we cater to them more.
Is air travel a form of mass transportation that works? It works in the sense that it is socially acceptable to take a plane in a way that it is not socially acceptable to take the bus (in North America). But airlines are continually going bankrupt, and it seems to me that a lot of air travel is fairly unpleasant. So although we accept air travel societally, I don't think it works well.
I wish we had more of a long-distance train culture on this continent. If we had efficient train service competing against air travel for long trips, maybe air carriers would feel pressure to improve. But because rail travel is so anemic in the USA and Canada, the only real competition air carriers face is from people who opt to drive long distances instead.
I also wish there were feasible ways to make intercontinental trips via boat. With effective trains and effective boats, it is possible that one could travel arbitrarily and never need to get on a plane at all.