Uber Expands Availability of Helicopter Rides to JFK

Anyone with the Uber app, proximity to Lower Manhattan, and cash to spare can take a helicopter ride to JFK.

1 minute read

October 6, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Helicopters

Popova Valeriya / Shutterstock

Uber announced Uber Copter service on Thursday, October 3, launching the service to all Uber app users after announcing the product in June and offering trips to premium users since July.

According to an article by Tina Bellon, the trip between Lower Manhattan and JFK costs between $200 and $225. Another key consideration reported by Bellon is the trip time: the trip took the Reuters team 70 minutes, including the subway ride to Downtown and the additional Uber rides necessary to connect to heliports. According to Bellon, that travel time is comparable to a taxi ride in moderate traffic.

Numerous other outlets covered the new stage of operations for Uber Copter, including The Verge and CNN—the latter is documented in the video embedded above.

Friday, October 4, 2019 in Reuters

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A group of officials stand in a patch of dirt holding golden shovels and white hardhats.

California city breaks ground on transit connector

The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.

November 2 - Mass Transit

People walking by a brick school in Cambridge.

After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker

Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.

November 2 - Smart Cities Dive

A rendering of the park, with green grass and a bass sculpture that looks like several tall arches in a row.

40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park

The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.

November 2 - Block Club Chicago