If you want to splurge a little and give yourself a little "money is meaningless" cachet, you’ll be excited to hear that soon you'll be able to hail a Blade helicopter through Uber. Yes, soon, you can order a Blade helicopter ride through Uber. You can order the lift through the Uber app, but for now, only one U.S. city gets the privilege (along with European cities): New York.
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And what better metropolis to get airborne above, with iconic skyscrapers, the greenery of Central Park’s impressive stretch and the Statue of Liberty on her island in the river? Forget the stretch; you can chopper your way to and from the airport, through the city, and frankly, wherever you want to go.
Not only can you book a helicopter, but you can also try a seaplane through the Uber app. Passengers can expect to take advantage of the service starting in 2026.
So, how much will that set you back financially? A helicopter ride to the airport starts at $195 per person, according to the T+L article, while a group of eight people can charter the whole bird for around $2,000. While that may sound ridiculously expensive, aerial commutes save passengers valuable time. For instance, a car ride from Manhattan to JFK can take an hour or more, whereas a helicopter ride takes… five minutes. A Blade vehicle then takes you from the helipad to your departure terminal. That $195 is suddenly looking a lot more affordable.
Last month, Joby Aviation purchased Blade’s passenger service. Joby is an electric air taxi company hoping to be the Uber of the skies. It already partners with Delta Air Lines, which will include it in the new Delta Concierge service. Delta passengers can earn airline points with Uber.
“We’re excited to introduce Uber customers to the magic of seamless urban air travel…. [with] our quiet, zero-emissions aircraft,” JoeBen Bevirt, the founder and CEO of Joby, said in a release quoted by T+L.
Blade’s flights cover the New York area, the Hamptons, JFK and Newark airports. In Europe, it serves the French cities of Nice and Cannes, as well as the principality of Monaco.