[throwaway29495]

That doesn't match my experience. Flights within the EU - especially if I travel with a carry-on only - are quick and frictionless.

I arrive at the airport 30 minutes before departure. I check in using a mobile app. Automatized gate with facial recognition tech takes my ID and boarding pass QR code - there are so many gates there's never a queue. The worst part of the ordeal - the security check of baggage - takes 5-10 minutes or so. I sit in the plane and we fly. At the destination I simply walk away without any queues anywhere (single duty zone...).

Definitely not 3x the travel time, no way. I never had boarding take more than an hour, and it only took that long when I was going out of EU.

[frosted-flakes]

Don't forget that trains take you right to the city centre, but airports are outside of the city.

[throwaway29495]

Where I live it's 20 minutes trip from the city centre. So yep, you're right - adds some time. But not enough to add up to 3x travel time, by far.

This is usually more of a concern for people traveling with lowcost airlines - these cheap out and arrive at another town's airport in many cases. National airlines like Lufthansa will take you much nearer your actual destination.