Y'all are falling for it, this isn't an existing service, it's a hype page. The flight cost is just filler made to excite you, it will most certainly be much more, none of the links work, there is no app, no faq, no privacy policy. This isn't tech related, this isn't even a product announcement it's just straight hype advertising and y'all are falling for it. Links like this hitting the top of the front page and spurring 150 comments indicate quite comically to me the sunset of what was once an insightful, interesting technology news site.
Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
111–120 of 217 posts
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
> For 99$ this is something that doesn't even require you to be some hedge fund brat to use. Not sure what the current cab prices are these days, but i remember paying about i think 80$ for a cab from JFK to central Manhattan. You can get it a bit cheaper if you book a car service instead of grabbing a cab from the airport but it's still not sums that would break anyone's pocket. You can get to LGA via public transit…
You can also get to Heathrow with a bus or the tube for 10 GBP, still most people either take a much more expensive train or book a car. Getting to JFK in public transport might work for a domestic flight but i won't want to go trough NY's public transport with 2 full suit cases.
Why does international flight mean 2 full suit cases? Seriously I'm 12 days in on a 14 day business trip across 'the pond' with a half sized roller board and that includes both the work laptop and a personal one, juggling props (hey come'on it's Europe) and running gear.
For business I figure if the privatized transport from the airport is 1/2 as long and not silly costs I'll expense it without guilt. At supposedly $99 from JFK it sounds legit for a short business trip. Granted they claim PMV, so YMMV.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#113> from Manhattan to JFK and Newark Liberty Airports cut the travel time from 2-hours to 6 minutes for about the same price as many black cars A helicopter flight is cool, sure... ...but "2 hours" is complete nonsense. Even if traffic is terrible, you can always take LIRR+AirTrain from Penn Station to JFK for less than $15, and it's basically guaranteed to take 35 min or less, straight to your desired terminal. Heck,…
I fly regularly out of JFK and live in Manhattan. I always take a cab out of convenience and it almost always takes less than an hour. But it's consitently the worst hour of my trip. I dread that leg more than the flight, the airport, anything.
This is absolutely a service I would use, provided it's $100 per person max. If it turns out to be $300 after the intro period then forget about it.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#114A service like this existed until a few years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Helicopter It took just a few minutes to get to EWR or JFK and cost $159. The biggest selling point was not only the short commute, but that you went through security at the helipad very quickly, rather than waiting at the airport. I believe they were a victim of the financial crisis and died around that time.
I did the $159 a few years ago before they shut down. My flight out of JFK was delayed by 2 hours, making the expense seem kind of ridiculous. Also, my flight was in a different terminal, meaning I had to leave and then re-enter security, which also kills the time advantage.
I thought it was pretty clear on their site that they offered the "security transfer" only at certain terminals, for certain airlines. For instance, if you were flying Continental out of Newark, it was great to come in via USH and not have to deal with infrequent flyers at security.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is this fleet of Teslas doing on days with good weather? Either they'll have too much capacity when the weather is good or too little when the weather is bad.
Driving for Uber, maybe.
Man would love a Tesla to pick me when randomly using Uber one day.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd be interested in sources for these claims. Lots of hyperbole in this comment.
7 crashes between 1995 - 2011, and that's only into the same two rivers. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/helicopter-crash-timelin...
Is that bad though? I'm guessing there are at least hundreds of thousands of helicopter flights in New York annually. ~1 accident per year doesn't sound very dangerous to me.
As for the concept, it's Uber for helicopters. As long as there is a need (I don't and would never live in New York so I have no idea what the demand for this is) then it may very well be successful.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#117I was imagining a zipline...
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#118For 99$ this is something that doesn't even require you to be some hedge fund brat to use. Not sure what the current cab prices are these days, but i remember paying about i think 80$ for a cab from JFK to central Manhattan. You can get it a bit cheaper if you book a car service instead of grabbing a cab from the airport but it's still not sums that would break anyone's pocket. A taxi from central London to Heathrow…
Uber from lower Manhattan to JFK is ~$60. Most of the time it won't take more than 45 minutes. The 2 hours they are pushing here is likely talking driving in heavy traffic or taking public transportation.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#119A service like this existed until a few years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Helicopter It took just a few minutes to get to EWR or JFK and cost $159. The biggest selling point was not only the short commute, but that you went through security at the helipad very quickly, rather than waiting at the airport. I believe they were a victim of the financial crisis and died around that time.
Yes, only marketing improvements here.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
I did the $159 a few years ago before they shut down. My flight out of JFK was delayed by 2 hours, making the expense seem kind of ridiculous. Also, my flight was in a different terminal, meaning I had to leave and then re-enter security, which also kills the time advantage.
I don't know. I think I'd pay $160 to not sit in traffic for 3 hours, just to wait in an airport/go through security for another 2. That means extra time to get things done before you fly out.
There's a train to the airport.