>The fundamental reason why eople would rather fly between DC and NYC
>than take Acela is the price. It costs almost $300 to ride the
>Acela, and about $100-$150 to fly.
Doesn't that depend? If you can plan far enough in advance and make no changes the price to fly would be in the ballpark of what you're saying here. Make changes or last minute reservations and the price can fluctuate greatly. I don't think people, especially business flyers, think about price to the exclusion of all other factors. They're also likely, especially business flyers, to think about how long it takes to get there and if they can have a meeting near the airport. If the plane can do it a little faster, even 45 minutes, that's something to consider.
It seems to me Jordan is arguing that it's geography that makes the U.S. a plane and car/truck country.