12-Minute 'Black Friday' Helicopter Flights To Manhattan Shopping Launch From Westchester

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Westchester residents will have a unique opportunity to avoid having to search for a parking spot at the mall on Black Friday.

Blade Urban Air Mobility, aka Blade, a division of Joby Aviation, announced a new pilot program that will soon offer commuter flights connecting Manhattan and the Westchester County Airport.

The new service could reduce the commute time to Manhattan from the Westchester County Airport to as little as 12 minutes.

Daily weekday flights will begin on Dec. 1. The commuter service will operate morning and evening flights between Westchester, with seats from $125 per passenger (with the purchase of a Blade Commuter Pass) to $225.

"With the return of five day work weeks and traffic between the Greater New York City Suburbs and Manhattan now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, it was time for Blade to service this demand," Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal said. "While Blade has proven the viability of airport routes in the U.S. and Europe, commuter routes will become even more important as new landing zones, exclusive to electric aircraft, become available."

A preview of the service will be available on Black Friday, in conjunction with The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, with special shopping excursion flights throughout the day.

See: Historic Electric Vertical Aircraft Flight At Westchester Airport

Blade will transition from helicopters to Joby quiet, zero-emission aircraft following FAA certification of the Joby electric air taxi. We never got the flying cars that the "Jetsons" promised us, but this pilot program could see new "air taxi" offerings around the world, according to the company.