November 20, 2008
On the 8-minute $99 helicopter from JFK to Manhattan
NewYorkology contributor Vidiot commits journalism by night, edits Cocktailians and explores NYC by day. He’s especially interested in the infrastructure, transit, architectural wonders, drinking establishments, and hidden corners of the greatest city in the world.
From vans to taxis to trains to limos, there are tons of ways to get from the airport to the city. But the fastest way to Manhattan has got to be via US Helicopter; the ride from JFK to Manhattan averages eight minutes.
And, thanks to US Helicopter’s deal with Delta, if you have the right kind of Delta ticket your flight only costs $45. It’s the same cost as a taxi, but you get to soar above the Van Wyck rather than sitting motionless atop it. (The Delta deal lasts through Dec. 31, and US Helicopter has a similar deal with Continental from Newark. Both the Delta and Continental deals give you the one-way helicopter flight for free if you’re flying in first or business classes.)
Booking the flight was a bit trickier than I’d expected, though: the Delta website priced my flight for more than I’d expected. I called up Delta reservations to find out why, and after the agent and her supervisor did a bit of digging, it turned out that only flights booked with the fare codes B, M, or H apply — which didn’t include my bare-bones nonrefundable economy fare for the rest of my trip. But, the regular US Helicopter fare of $159 has been slashed to $99 through December 31, and I thought that this was as good a chance as any to go.
 After my plane landed at JFK transferring was easy — since US Helicopter operates out of a regular gate in Delta’s terminal so I didn’t have to clear security again. (I wasn’t checking luggage, but if I had, the luggage would have transferred just like any other connection.) I made my way to gate 11, checked in, and waited about ten minutes until my flight was called. They loaded my two fellow passengers, (who were British tourists,) and me into a van for the short drive over to the helipad. When we got to the helicopter, we waited inside the van for our two pilots to start the engines, and were given a short safety briefing. After that, we boarded the helicopter, which had a comfortably plush interior (goldtone seatbelt fittings!) that would fit up to eight passengers. We taxied briefly and then the ground sank away, and we were off.
The ride was very smooth, and the cabin was well-insulated; the engine noise was louder than an airplane’s, but not so loud that you couldn’t talk or be heard over it. The views, of course, were spectacular as we made our beeline to East 34th Street.
We took a dramatic curve as we approached the heliport, and we were set down gently. We had to wait for a few seconds before we could get out, as they don’t want people on the helipads when other helicopters are landing or taking off.
Once out, we were escorted quickly out of the way, and were heading toward USH’s small terminal building when a woman in a suit burst out of the terminal, yelling at me and one of the other passengers not to take pictures. “THIS IS A SECURE AREA!” she literally screamed, taking us aback. I mildly noted that no one had told us that taking pictures wasn’t allowed, and she started berating the ramp employee who’d escorted us to the terminal, pausing only to yell at us some more before stalking off in a huff. (No one batted an eye when we’d taken pictures on the ramp at JFK, nor during the flight. I’d asked at the gate at JFK if it was okay to take pictures, and the gate agent said that it was fine as long as we didn’t use flash.) Our bags were brought to us, and I headed off in search of a crosstown bus.
In short, US Helicopters offer an interesting way to get to or from the airport, and you can’t beat the transit time. If you have the right kind of airline ticket, you can’t beat the price either. But make sure your picture-taking is confined to the flight itself.
US Helicopter does not fly weekends or holidays. It normally flies out of both the E. 34th Street and Downtown heliports, but the the downtown operation is temporarily closed for remodeling, a reservation operator told NewYorkology. However the company’s website states it’s due to “operational issues currently at Downtown Manhattan Heliport.”
Picture credits: Vidiot, see Flickr for the full US Helicopter photo set.
Earlier: Port Authority to handoff Wall St. heliport management
U.S. Helicopter $99 sale to JFK, Newark from Manhattan
$45 helicopter transfer to JFK for Delta economy-class
$99-to-the-airport sale at struggling U.S. Helicopter
US Helicopter behind on rent at Wall Street heliport
US Helicopter swaps JFK partner to Delta from AA
November 20, 2008 7:51 AM in Arrivology, Sightsology
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