Uber helicopter service set for Manhattan

Uber is to launch a helicopter service in New York City which is expected to offer flights from Lower Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport in eight minutes. A New York Times report says the average flight on the Uber Copter will cost $200-225 per person and include ground transportation on both ends of the trip. Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate - the ride-hailing firm’s aerial division - says: “Our plan is to eventually roll out Uber Copter to more Uber customers and to other cities, but we want
June 12, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
8336 Uber is to launch a helicopter service in New York City which is expected to offer flights from Lower Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport in eight minutes.


A %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external New York Times false https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/travel/uber-helicopter-nyc-jfk.html false false%> report says the average flight on the Uber Copter will cost $200-225 per person and include ground transportation on both ends of the trip.

Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate - the ride-hailing firm’s aerial division - says: “Our plan is to eventually roll out Uber Copter to more Uber customers and to other cities, but we want to do it right. The main goal of this initial venture is to understand the operations behind aerial vehicles.”

Starting on 9 July, Uber Copters will be available to Platinum and Diamond members of Uber Rewards - the company’s loyalty programme.

These members will be able to book Uber Copter on demand or up to five days in advance. Each chopper can carry up to five passengers and will operate from Monday to Friday during the afternoon rush hour. Users receive a boarding pass via email after reserving their seats.

Uber Copters in Manhattan will take off and land from a heliport near Staten Island Ferry. In Kennedy, the helicopters will depart and land at a helipad near Terminal 8.

HeliFlite, a helicopter transportation service, will operate the Uber Copters. Two pilots will be on board for each flight while riders will watch a safety video before the journey.

Customers will only be allowed to carry one personal bag and one carry-on weighing no more than 40 pounds.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Vietnam strengthens pledge to sustainable transport
    November 8, 2019
    Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has announced plans to bolster its activities to improve sustainable transport. The news came at the Intergovernmental Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum, an annual event which aims to boost Asian countries’ awareness of environmental protection in the transport sector as well as building more sustainable urban areas and communities. Deputy minister of transport Lê Anh Tuấn told Vietnamnews: “The ministry will be proactive in working with other countries i
    Read More
  • Upgrading New Yorks's traffic signal timings
    February 28, 2013
    The New York City Department of Transportation instituted the Midtown in Motion project to promote multimodal mobility in the Midtown Core of Manhattan, a 110 square block area or “zone” from Second to Sixth Avenue and 42nd to 57th Street. Control extended from 86th Street to 23rd Street, focused on the core zone. MiM provides signal timing changes on two levels: Level 1 control starts from a pre-stored library of timing plans. These are designed offline and are relevant to arterials inside the Midtown stud
    Read More
  • Fujitsu: technology set to change UK transport in 2018
    March 15, 2018
    60% of UK transport leaders surveyed believe technology will be crucial to overcoming socioeconomic issues that the country faces today, according to Fujitsu’s Technology in a Transforming Britain report. It found that 31% of organisations will implement robotic process automation over the next 12 months while slightly less plan to invest in artificial intelligence. In addition, 28% will utilise biometrics over this period. The study also revealed that 87% of organisations think technology is driving
    Read More
  • Netherlands bans electric carts after four children killed
    October 8, 2018
    The Dutch government has banned electric carts following a road-rail collision which killed four children in the southern town of Oss. The Stint cart carrying the children - aged four to eight - was hit by a train at a level crossing, the BBC says. A witness heard the 32-year-old female driver from a daycare centre shout that her brakes had failed. The driver and a fifth child were seriously injured in the crash. Stints can carry up to 10 children who are strapped in with a s eatbelt. The driver is
    Read More

Highlighted Content