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Uber Copter Now Available for All New Yorkers

Gone are the days when regular Uber users looked with envy at the Platinum and Diamond members having the option of taking the helicopter to move about New York. As of this week, Uber opens the gates for all its users, ushering a new era in urban air transportation.
Uber Copter in New York 20 photos
Photo: Uber
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Called Uber Copter, the service provides round trips between Manhattan and the JFK airport. Just as Platinum and Diamond users can hitch a ride pretty much whenever they want, now so do regular members, provided they stick to the schedule.

Uber Copter is available for anyone provided they use it in the 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. interval during weekdays. Going one way on the helicopter will set users back at least $200 and at most $225. Just like with its cars, the Uber Copter can be booked right from the app, and can be found in all of Manhattan south of Houston Street, and select areas with access to the West Side Highway.

The idea behind this move is to get people accustomed to taking to the air for their daily commutes. Uber is frantically working on making air taxis a reality, but until such time it manages to come up with a working, flying and possibly autonomous prototype, it still has to rely on helicopter.

It is not until 2023 that Uber plans to launch an affordable shared flight service. Testing of the actual machines is however scheduled to start as soon as 2020. The company will first launch these services in Melbourne, Dallas and Los Angeles.

“The focus in the near term is to open this up to all riders, to demonstrate this vision of seamless connection between cars and helicopters,” said according to Bloomberg Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate.

The flights in New York are not actually operated by Uber, but by one of its partners, HeliFlite.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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