Uber opens helicopter service to everyone. Here's how much it'll cost
Fox Business Briefs: Uber is developing shared air transportation between suburbs and cities -- and ultimately within cities. It wants to launch the service in 2023, starting in Dallas and Los Angeles.
Taking an Uber from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens just went airborne.
Navigating traffic in Manhattan is already a nightmare. Doing so while trying to get to Queens to catch a flight is downright confounding. Uber is stepping in with a helicopter program so that all that traffic, street lights and honking of horns fade into the horizon.
The cost of a helicopter lift before taking flight out of JFK Airport is "between $200 and $225 per person and include ground transportation on either side of the trip."
Premium Uber members were allowed this travel option during the summer, and now the company is making it available to all users of the app.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBER | UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC. | 71.51 | +1.87 | +2.69% |
The helicopter ride from Manhattan will take roughly eight minutes of air time to traverse the 16 miles. Uber estimates that a train, which would involve walking with luggage, is a little over 80 minutes of travel time. Driving could be close to two hours according to their estimate.
The helicopter ride is booked using the Uber app. In a blog post made in June, Uber said a single tap of a button can get a commuter access to a ride with Uber from a pickup location to "the heliport, a helicopter flight, and a ride from the heliport to your destination."