Why do I have to say 'by plane', 'by car' etc.?

[manish]

Test No. incompl/elem-17 "White Water Rafting", question 7

You must be joking. Have you forgotten how terrible I felt the last time we went somewhere ......... plane?

(a) in
(b) with
(c) by

Test No. incompl/elem-17 "White Water Rafting", answer 7

You must be joking. Have you forgotten how terrible I felt the last time we went somewhere by plane?

Correct answer: (c) by

Your answer was: incorrect
You must be joking. Have you forgotten how terrible I felt the last time we went somewhere in plane?
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why its BY PLANE why not in plane?

[Torsten]

Because you can go by train, by car, by bus, by ship and of course, by plane. We use the preposition by in connection with the verb go and a vehicle.

TOEIC listening, photographs: Enjoying a boat ride

[Greenwind]

Dear Torsten,
So what about 'go in a car' ?

[Sandy1]

you can`t say in a car, if I asked you where are you?then you can say I am in a car.
But with transportations I mean the methods for carrying passengers or goods from one place to another you have to use the peposition by...
It is the same idea when you use the preposition at befor time like: at 7:00

[Andrzejw72]

Why don't we say by "a" car or by "the" car. I agree with "by" but it is confusing me a lot that we don't use any determiners. Can anyone explain it to me. Thanks :-)

[Mister Micawber]

Why don't we say by "a" car or by "the" car. I agree with "by" but it is confusing me a lot that we don't use any determiners. Can anyone explain it to me. -- You will have to be satisfied that it is an idiom: 'by + unmodified mode of transportation'.

By car/truck/train/ship/taxi/etc.
In a new car / a rented truck /etc.

And be prepared for MANY other English idioms that have no explanation beyond usage.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's