Uber takes to the skies with $200 JFK helicopter taxis
Uber customers in New York will soon be able to book helicopter flights to John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport using its app.
The Uber Copter – currently available only to Uber premium members – will be offered to all Uber customers from 7 October.
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Flights to and from a helipad in lower Manhattan will cost between $200 and $225 per person, including ground transportation either side of the roughly eight-minute helicopter trip.
Journeys from Manhattan to JFK by car typically take between one and two hours, while public transport takes between 50 and 75 minutes.
Uber rides shuttling passengers to the helipad will only be available from the southern end of Manhattan, to prevent customers getting stuck in traffic on the way. But Eric Allison, head of Elevate, Uber’s aerial division, said the pick-up zone could be expanded.
The ride-hailing app is hoping its Uber Copter offering will pave the way for its planned air taxi service.
Uber Air will offer passengers shared rides in electric “vertical take-off and landing” aircraft, which will take off and land on the top of designated buildings.
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It has partnered with aircraft manufacturers including Boeing to develop the futuristic aircraft.
Uber is set to begin testing the service in cities as early as next year, ahead of a planned commercial rollout in 2023.
Main image credit: Getty