One of the great pains in the arse about living in new York City is getting out of the city to travel. Personally, I
loathe the cab ride from my apartment to JFK or La Guardia. It can take over an hour if the traffic is bad and its damn
expensive to boot. Sure, I can take the subway, but that sometimes takes two hours or more. If only there were a better
way.
Hello? What about by helicopter? Wouldn’t it be a rush to be whisked to the airport in a
chopper, and arrive just before your flight to an admiring throng who, no doubt, would suspect that you were some kind
of big shot CEO hurrying off for a long weekend in the Bahamas. Very nice.
So yes, starting March 13, a
company called US Helicopter Corp., based in Bridgeport, Conn., will offer hourly
service, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. between the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, at the foot of Wall Street and the East River,
and the American Airlines terminal at JFK.
And not only will you arrive in style, but you’ll clear
security and check bags at the heliport, and be on your way in no time.
What’s this going to cost
you? The introductory one-way fare, good through March 31 is $139 per person. After that the rate will be $159
plus taxes and security fee. When you think about it, if you are in a pinch, that is not half bad. A cab, after all can
run you as much as $60 , so it’s just double the amount. Not a horrible deal, by any stretch, and can you really
put a price on such luxury? Well, yes you probably could, but still, this would be very cool.