Weird. I looked at prices for helicopter charter recently, and it's usually $1000 to JFK/LGA/EWR from downtown.
The service splits a helicopter five ways, so about $200/person...
Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
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Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#72For 99$ 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…
> 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 for $2.50 (subway+bus). For JFK there's an extra $5.00 for the airtrain.
Technologists are the new "hedge fund brats". I agree it's not a huge price-tag given how awesome it sounds compared to the similarly-priced alternatives, but let's be careful when we talk about what might "break anyone's pocket."
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#73Footnote on ad: "Promotion rate flights are for first time flyers only and limted to a single use. Other terms and conditions may apply." HeliNY, for which they are a reseller, charges $925 for that trip as a charter. Aircraft capacity is 5 (maybe 6). So the regular price, assuming they make you wait for a full helicopter, is probably about $200.
"Aircraft capacity is 5 (maybe 6)."
Another issue is if they are flying to JFK the idea is you are taking a flight obviously out of JFK. So given that helis are small and weight sensitive I wonder if the app collects that info and/or what the baggage restrictions are.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're not the carrier. From the bottom of the page: Gotham Air is not a direct air carrier but rather provides technology and information services enabling consumers to obtain aircraft charter and shared aircraft charter services from FAA certified and DOT registered air carriers who exercise operational control over all flights .
Exactly I've seen a few services like this advertised exactly the same way (WSJ ads some run by former industry execs). Interesting thought that the picture of the heli contradicts that (says "Gotham Air" on the side). That's no small point actually. Gives someone who doesn't read the fine print the idea that they do operate the aircraft. I understand why they do that but it is a bit deceptive.
Enough to sue them for misleading advertising or something like that? It needs to be done, just to make a point.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm curious, is it more or less dangerous than driving a car over the same distance?
I don't have the statistics at hand, but I'd say it's likely more. The remarkable safety of airliners doesn't extend to smaller aircraft.
It actually does, the problem is that the same restrictions do not apply.
A very large amount of private aircraft related accidents happen because of extreme conditions in which a commercial airliner would have not been flying under in any case. Privately owned aircraft also tend to be much less well maintained and their pilots have considerably fewer flight hours than big or small commercial aircraft.
This is when "safety" takes a backseat to private ownership and responsibility, it's not because smaller aircraft are inherently less safe.
When embark on a private flight in a private aircraft there's virtually almost no circumstances in which you will not be cleared off for take off. Not to mention that anything upto a small jet can does take of from any sufficiently long patch of dirt rather than a fully staffed airport with ground crew that services and clears the aircraft.
If these guys will follow the same rules there is nothing much more inherently unsafe in being in a smaller or a rotary wing aircraft than in a brand new 747-800.
If you apply napkin calculations you can also make it sound that military aircraft are much more less safe than civilian ones, even in such cases in which they are the exact same aircraft in a different color scheme. It's not that the aircraft is less safe it's that the conditions it operates under are inherently more dangerous both in peace time and war.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe by facilitating the service via an app will make the difference here. A much bigger audience and probably a lot easier to book.
Possibly by having the service on-demand they have fewer liabilities so you don't go out of business if demand drops off, which is what did in US Helicopter. Helicopters as a Service. On the other hand if they're too successful maybe the company they're chartering from could decide to offer service themselves and cut them out
Having it on-demand means they are possibly flying under FAA part 135 regs (charter/commuter) instead of 119 (scheduled carrier) so the expense might be a little lighter there.
That said, someone's got to pay the mortgage on a $2.6 million ship, plus fuel and maint and salaries etc etc.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
given that they're a reseller there probably is no aircraft with their livery as pictured either
Considering I've driven past buses covered in bumper to bumper ads for McDonalds, the local hospital system, and a pawnshop this morning, I think it's safe to say getting your name and logo on a vehicle isn't an insurmountable task. I would consider starting a helicopter-as-a-service to be the greater challenge.
They almost certainly don't own the helicopters, that would be an extremely large cost for them (up front) including maintenance, staffing, storage and so on. Virtually no businesses actually own their own birds. Their USP is that instead of going to the owners and chartering the chopper yourself, they'll match you up with other commuters and you pay your 5th or 6th of the cost.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#78For 99$ 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…
> 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.
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#79For 99$ 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…
OT but I've never really understood the Heathrow Express economics--and I've asked Londoners and they've never been able to give a good explanation either. I take the Piccadilly line in and I've never understood the justification for taking the Express. Maybe if I were staying right around Paddington but not if I'm going to have to take the tube or a taxi anyway.
The exchange rate from your money to Other People's Money is very significant
Re: Gotham Air: Manhattan to JFK in 6 minutes for $99
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
Exactly I've seen a few services like this advertised exactly the same way (WSJ ads some run by former industry execs). Interesting thought that the picture of the heli contradicts that (says "Gotham Air" on the side). That's no small point actually. Gives someone who doesn't read the fine print the idea that they do operate the aircraft. I understand why they do that but it is a bit deceptive.
Enough to sue them for misleading advertising or something like that? It needs to be done, just to make a point.
I would imagine that the chance of getting sued is quite small. What individual would sue and what harm would they claim? Government FTC most likely would not care and if they did all they would have to do is change the picture.
Likewise if there was an accident someone would have to say they relied on that information and was mislead. Unlikely (especially in the case of death how do you prove that?). Plus it is common practice to operate like this by similar parties.
Here is a similar company for jets:
Note how they do the same thing but don't have any logos on the jets.
http://www.bluestarjets.com/?page=company-payment-legal
My guess is that the "Gotham Air" will disappear from the home page picture.