Manhattan Helicopter Service To Fly To All Three NYC Area Airports

Kennedy International Airport is as close as eight minutes away from Downtown New York, now that US Helicopter Corp., a startup company headquartered in Manhattan, offers flights to JFK from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at Wall Street.

Service to JFK from the East 34th St. Heliport began in April, with flights to LaGuardia from both heliports expected in June and to Newark in September, said president and CEO Jerry Murphy.

"Our service will offer business travelers, including top executives but especially road warriors, a very efficient way to get to and from Kennedy and the other airports," said Donal McSullivan, US Helicopter's senior vice president and chief marketing officer, "with up to two hours of commuting time saved upon arrival at the airport."

With personal and luggage security screenings conducted at the heliport and all boarding passes issued there, travelers not only will save time, Murphy said but also avoid the frustration of airport security lines—especially since about 50,000 travelers undergo security screenings at JFK daily. "We want to provide travelers with a seamless experience," McSullivan added.

For the convenience, passengers pay $159 one-way, including taxes and fees. While towncars charge only $75 to $100, that ride to JFK can take one hour and longer, Murphy commented.

"Over the last five years, we've conducted extensive market research that shows that of the more than 100 million passengers who fly into the New York Metropolitan area's three major airports—Newark and LaGuardia, in addition to JFK—every year, 12 million to 15 million come into Manhattan. They are the base on which we will draw," said McSullivan.

US Helicopter, founded in 2003 with flight operations based in Bridgeport, Conn., estimates more than 150,000 passengers will use the new service during its first year of operation. Since launching such an endeavor takes years of preparation, Murphy said US Helicopter has no competition in its market at this time, adding he doesn't expect train service to JFK to be a direct competitor.

Commencement of the service marks the first time in more than 20 years there will be scheduled helicopter airport shuttle service between Manhattan and any New York City airport. The last service, offered by Pan American and New York Airways, respectively, ended in the mid-1980s. A rooftop accident on what is now the MetLife building in 1977—then the Pan Am building —involved a rotor that spun free, killing five people, including a woman at street level.

"US Helicopter's flight paths will be over water, primarily," Murphy noted.

Two pilots will fly state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, configured for eight passengers to afford them maximum space and comfort, he said. "We will offer hourly flights from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, all landing at JFK's American Airlines Terminal 9. Also, in the event of any mechanical problems, we'll have a back-up helicopter in place because we want to provide reliable service," he said. "Business travelers really don't have time to wait."

By the end of this year, the company—which will begin with three helicopters—will have eight in service, with a fleet of 30 in five years, Murphy said.

"This initiative has a potentially enormous benefit for Lower Manhattan and the thousands of regular air travelers, who would save countless hours in commuting time," said Charles Gargano, chairman of the New York State Economic Development Corp. and vice chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, operators of New York's airports and the Downtown heliport. "It's also a potential boon for all New York City travelers willing to pay for this premium service," he added.

US Helicopter worked closely with the Transportation Security Administration, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, to arrange the service, Gargano said. In conjunction, the Downtown heliport, on Pier 6 in the East River, will be the first one in the United States to be under the federal government's security umbrella, said TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis, with eight federal security screeners staffing the heliport.

"The company approached TSA in 2004 with the idea of offering regularly scheduled service, with the number of enplanements rivaling that of a small airport and of also offering security screenings directly at the heliport," Davis said. "Since that was the case and since passengers would be dropped off on the sterile or secured side of the airport, TSA had to be involved."

TSA will cover personnel and screening equipment at the Downtown Heliport, at a cost of $560,000 this year, Davis said.

When US Helicopter begins operation at 34th St., she continued, another federal security checkpoint will have to be created there at about the same cost.

US Helicopter CEO Murphy said the company might not restrict its offerings to the New York metropolitan area.

"We have looked into expanding service beyond New York, but I cannot comment on where at this time," Murphy said.