A new on-demand helicopter booking service is offering New Yorkers a chance to beat the traffic for less than a hundred bucks.
Gotham Air is now alighting in New York City’s JFK & Newark Liberty Airports and the firm claims to cut the cross-city travel time from two hours to just minutes.
To celebrate this week’s launch, first time riders can book a $99 flat rate flight by selecting a departure from one of three Manhattan heliports. Flights can be booked at www.GothamAir.com or via the GothamAir app, which will be available from the App Store in February 2015.
"This changes everything about travel," says Gotham Air CEO Tim Hayes. "Our customers can go from sitting in a car to relaxing in one of our luxe choppers within minutes. We plan to bring a new level of luxury and convenience to people's lives."
The company’s president, Colleen Cowan, added a claim that the bookable Bell 407 choppers are the “sports car of helicopters”, offering speeds of up to 160mph with first class seating and Hermes leather furnishings.
Flights will be available seven days a week and following the initial $99 fee, a one way fare will be priced at $199 - $219, depending on departure time. Aside from the speedy transit and cityscape views, complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be provided by world renowned Chef Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery.
There’s even an “inclement weather guarantee” backed by Tesla. On occasions where winds are too high or the cloud cover is too low, Gotham Air will pick up guests at their home or office in Manhattan and whisk them to the airport in a sleek Tesla S. Then while guests wait they’ll be able to access VIP lounges and concierge services at the flight terminal.
Crowd sourced flight reservations began January 20, 2015, and regularly scheduled flights will roll out by spring 2015.