Ride-hailing app Uber said users will soon be able to fly to and from Lower Manhattan in New York and John F. Kennedy International Airport in a helicopter.
Reuters is reporting that the option became available to everyone on Thursday (Oct. 3). It was previously only available to premium members.
The flight lasts about eight minutes and costs about $200. It includes ground vehicle transportation as well. It will be similar to an airplane ride; the user can bring a small carry-on and must watch a safety video.
Uber teamed up with a company called HeliFlite Shares for the endeavor and said its prices match those of competitors.
The ride will shorten travel times to the airport, Uber said, but when a Reuters reporter tried the service from midtown to the airport, it took about 70 minutes, which is about the same time as a taxi. The reporter took a subway ride and two Ubers to get to the heliport.
An Uber spokesperson said the reporter’s experience would not be typical, and the option is only meant for people who are close enough to reap the benefits.
“Uber Copter won’t appear as an option in the app if you are outside of the geofence because it wouldn’t provide time savings,” the spokesperson said.
Eric Allison, head of Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-hailing program, said Uber could eventually make the pick-up zone larger. “Helicopters are certainly expensive, and it will be a premium product, but we think we’re actually able to offer a fairly accessible entry point with Uber Copter,” he noted.
A trip to JFK could take as long as two hours in Manhattan, and even public transportation could take more than an hour; Uber aims to reduce those times with the offering. The company is banking on a specific type of person taking advantage of the service.
Uber also wants to eventually offer Uber Air, a service that will feature a “vertical take-off and landing” electric air vehicle.
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