Skip to main content

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

  • CVMA: Quebec's ZEV plan may create unintended consequences
    January 2, 2018
    The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association’s (CVMA’s) president Mark Nantais has stated that Quebec’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations “may result in unintended consequences for consumers, automobile dealers, industry and ultimately, Quebec's economy,” in response to the new strategy introduced by the province’s government. The standard aims to increase the number of ZEVs in the region and to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions. It will come into effect on the 11 January 2018.
  • Vehicle and Road Automation website launched
    February 18, 2014
    In order to promote the exchange of information and research on vehicle and road automation activities in Europe and beyond, the Vehicle and Road Automation (VRA) project has launched its website, together with other online tools to promote and expand the VRA community: The VRA wiki, www.vra-net.eu/wiki, is a user-edited shared resource for road vehicle automation activities around the world, containing details on around forty projects, with an abstract, contact point, website, sponsor, budget/funding an
  • ITS International: Meet us in Vienna
    September 21, 2012
    ITS International, the number one business-to-business title for anyone involved in advanced technology for the traffic management and urban mobility markets, is in Vienna to report from the ITS World Congress, 2012, http://2012.itsworldcongress.com/content , which takes place from the 22-26 October. Once again, ITS International will lead coverage of the event through its www.DailyNews-Online.com/ITSWorldCongress-2012 site. We are planning to bring you all the latest preview and live event news from the I
  • Gemalto, Powa and Verifone confirmed for CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS 2014
    July 9, 2014
    The 29th CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS event theme is ‘Users on the move’, said exhibition director Isabelle Alfano. Speaking at the press launch of CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS 2014 in Paris, Alfano announced that more than 20,000 visitors and nearly 450 exhibitors are expected from 140 countries. The three-day event from 4 to 6 November is the most important in the industry, bringing together the biggest range of solutions worldwide in terms of payment, identification and mobility. DataCard, American Express, Gema