While I agree with your sentiment, I can see where the OP is coming from. My understanding is that when you travel to a planet, the entire planet is loaded while we're presented with the loading screen. If the entire planet is loaded, why so many additional instancing (steps) just to get to the planet?
Take Belsalvis. You fly there - or to the orbital station, click your ship's door, wait, run 60 meters straight ahead to another door, wait, run across the promenade toward the shuttle, click the shuttle door, wait...NOW you're on Belsalvis.
It just seem tedious, with no real purpose. And before you say breadcrumb quests, those could have easily been placed on the planet itself.
I'd be ecstatic if they'd at least allow speeders in all the space ports and docks.