Space ships aren't necessarily less efficient than airplanes for intercontinental travel. Yes, they burn an incredible amount of fuel for a couple minutes, but then they can travel through space without using any fuel because there is no atmospheric drag. So in the end the fuel usage is comparable.
Space ships also have the advantage that they can use "green" fuel, fuel that is synthesized from green energy, water and atmospheric CO2 rather than using fossil fuels. (Jet planes could also run on green fuel, but jet fuel is significantly more expensive to synthesize than hydrogen or methane).
Methane and hydrogen rockets also burn much cleaner than jets. The fuel is almost pure, and the oxidizer is pure oxygen rather than air, so there is almost no sulfates, NOx or soot.
Still pretty inefficient compared to an electric scooter, though. :)
