The Uber Copter Promises to Make the Manhattan to JFK in 8 Minutes

f you’re in New York, Uber is calling you to fly to the JFK international airport and head to wherever you’re going next with impetus and style.

The urban transportation expert is deploying helicopters to take passengers from the lower Manhattan and over to the JFK airport in just eight minutes. Obviously, this is meant to help people who are in absolute hurry to catch a flight, and who need to override all that New York traffic that stands in their way.

The way this works is by booking the Uber Copter even in only 30 minutes before your flight via the Uber app, and then wait for a car to come and get you to the heliport. Once you arrive there, you watch a 90-second safety video and you’re ready to board. The helicopter takes you over to a helipad near Terminal 8 of the JFK airport, and finally, an Uber car drives you to the desired departure terminal.

The whole trip costs $200 to $225, and passengers can also carry a suitcase of up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds), as well as a personal item. 

The traffic congestion in New York is so bad, that going from lower Manhattan to JFK would take approximately an hour if you were to get a “wheeled” Uber ride. This is a distance of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) we’re talking about, so getting a helicopter ride could be a savior for many travelers. Even if you are not in a hurry, getting a chopper and heading to the airport is definitely a way to feel part of the contemporary jet set, or just enjoy the experience of flying. Two hundred dollars isn’t a lot to ask for all that combined, so we expect to see the Uber Copter becoming an option on more cities within 2020.