If you’re running fairly late for a very important flight on a very important date, Gotham Air may be of use to you. Gotham Air is a premier travel app for New Yorkers. Its been compared to Uber or Lyft because of its ridesharing feature as well as the fact that they let riders book online with a credit card and it’s possible to book less than an hour in advance. Flights are available everyday from 8am-8pm.
Teaming with Helicopter Flight Services—the premier provider of helicopter aviation services in the area—Gotham Air’s helicopter ride-sharing service in New York City gets someone from Manhattan to JFK or Newark Liberty Airports in six minutes instead of the usual two hours of heavy traffic. Can your Uber or Lyft do that?
Gotham Air launched January of this year and started offering an Apple itunes Store app in February. Four people have to reserve a spot for a flight to actually confirm, and the app and website give you access to that information.
Gizmodo’s review describes the helicopters as having floor-to-ceiling glass windows, great for seeing New York City from above. Except it’s only for six minutes at a time. There is a possibility of expanding locations in the future, but pretty much only if Gotham Air does well.
They use Bell 407 helicopters, “the sports car of helicopters with speeds of up to 160mph with first class seating.” The interior features Hermes leather furnishings, hors d’oeuvres by world reknown Chef Thomas Keller’s are served, as well as beverages in the afternoon.
Gotham Air guests have the benefit of an inclement weather guarantee, courtesy of Tesla. If the winds are too high or the cloud coverage is too obstructing, Gotham Air will pick up their clients at whatever point of pickup in a sleep Tesla S to whisk them to the airport.
Tim Hayes, the CEO of Gotham Air says he started this service to be a more efficient and affordable service after experiencing the usual price tags of $2,000 just to fly a chopper to the airport. Nevertheless this is still certainly a luxury service. The price per seat is $219 per person, but introductory flights are $99—a one-time only deal but good to know in case of emergency.
