I really do find this mind boggling, that this debate is still going on when the issue is much simpler than these arguments are implying. Fact is, People can beat around the bush all day long with their own choice of interpretation for terms like Immersion to suit their side of the argument.

We need some common ground.

Here's an attempt at explaining this issue in layman's terms..

Airships are being introduced to shorten the time-span of travel between cities, very much the same way Chocobos are being introduced to shorten traversing the lands of Eorzea.

Example of pre-patch 1.19 vs 1.19:

Running from Uldah to Drybone takes about 8 mins.
Chocobo alleviates/shortens the time to 4 mins. - Great! Makes sense.

Running from one city to another takes 20 mins.
Airship alleviates/shortens the time to.. 0 mins. - Grea...Huh!? Wait a sec.. 0? What? How? Why? Shouldn't it be like 5 mins? No.. This does not make sense.

You don't see anything wrong here? Airship isn't shortening the time-span, it's removing it all together, this isn't just harming the game balance, it's illogical, irrational and it beats the very purpose of an Airship. It's a ride which you're neither experiencing by cutting it out, nor is it shortening the travel time to something reasonable to reflect an Airship ride in the context of Distance to Time ratio. This is not a teleport, it's not meant to be instant like one, regardless of whether you enjoy the ride or not, and let me add, complaining that the ride is boring is a valid complaint and point by all means, in which case.. we should request the ride to be an enjoyable and fun experience with different types of dynamic content, that would be the solution to the prob, not removing the ride all together, ignoring game principles for your personal convenience and instant gratification. This is an MMO where Space, Distance, Time and last but not least Patience is needed for the game to be complete.

Let's put this anther way, Would it make sense if Chocobos had the option to insta-port to camps?
No it wouldn't. This is precisely the same concept, I could argue that a Chocobo ride is a time-sink that i'd prefer not to waste time through because i could use that boring travel time to do things more important to me.
The fact is, it will break the game in every sense, shape and form. If you think otherwise, you are simply being irrational and i would be inclined to say you're playing the wrong genre. This is no console game where you're personal convenience is a priority. There is an overall balance needed for the game to function correctly and give a sense of realism.

Be sensible about this. This is not about personal gain, this is about keeping the game a pleasant rational experience overall. If you have a such a huge problem investing 5 mins into a ride which would have been 20 mins otherwise, i can't help but wonder if you're playing the right genre with how impatient you are.

In conclusion, I'll say it again..

Let the ride be a ride.. and let the Teleport be a Teleport.