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Helictopter Travel / US Helicopter / JFK / EWR / Airport News / Delta / Airline News / → All Tags

It's A Sad Day For Frivolous Travel As US Helicopter Abruptly Shuts Down

US Helicopter, which ran Sikorsky choppers from the Wall Street and Midtown West heliports to JFK and Newark airports, shuttered its service abruptly on Friday. What a bummer for ballers in the NYC-area, and for Jaunted too since we've splurged on the 8-minute flight a few times—one review is here.

The 'copter company, which landed at Delta terminals at the airports and offered seamless transfers to your Delta flights, only began 3 years ago and yet has been plagued with financial problems from the first. Sometimes their desperation for cash would work out for us, since their $99 special would appear every so often and drive us batty with fantasies of flying in friends from the airport as a gift and totally blowing their minds.

The good news is, US Helicopter claims that this stop is only temporary for, as their Vice-President says, "getting our act together." Once they do get their act together, we hope that $159 one-ways that take 8 minutes to get to the airport still include a few specials.

Related Stories:
· US Helicopter Halts Shuttle Service To JFK and Newark [NYT]
· First-Person Flight Reviews: US Helicopter Is Real-Life Google Earth [Jaunted]
· US Helicopter Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: US Helicopter]

US Helicopter / Getting to JFK / JFK / EWR / → All Tags

Why Aren't You Flying US Helicopter Yet?

New York air taxi service US Helicopter has a couple of deals going right now that have us wondering why anyone would bother to cab it out to JFK or Newark.

First, the Fall Fare Sale is back on, offering $99 fares for airport transfers anytime between now and the end of 2008. You'll need to buy by October 17, when the one-way trip will go back up to the usual $159.

You can get an even better deal if you're holding certain Continental tickets for flights out of EWR. Through October 31, you can tack on a helicopter transfer for $45 if you're buying an H-class fare. (The fare class of tickets is listed when you shop Continental's website.)

Still not convinced you should be skipping an NYC taxi? Check out our review of the service for more details on why you should be taking a helicopter to the airport.

Related Stories:
· Fall Fare Sale [Official Site]
· Continental Offers Bargain Helicopter Rides [WSJ]
· US Helicopter coverage [Jaunted]

US Helicopter / Getting to JFK / JFK / Delta / → All Tags

Baller Travel: Delta Partners with US Helicopter for "Free" Flights

Delta has just announced a deal with US Helicopter to fly first class and unrestricted economy passengers between Manhattan and JFK for free, as long as you purchase your tickets by August 29. The chopper shuttle service, which we tried out earlier this month, usually costs $165 one-way, including taxes and fees.

Obviously, if you're spending a few thousand bucks on a plane ticket, you probably wouldn't mind shelling out for a helicopter ride, too. But it's a nice perk for a small slice of Delta's passengers--and a move that emphasizes a focus on service and comfort in an industry currently serving up nothing but horrible news.

Related Stories:
· Delta's Offers Complimentary US Helicopter Service [Official Site]
· Delta coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: US Helicopter]

US Helicopter / Getting to JFK / JFK / Flight Reviews / → All Tags

First-Person Flight Reviews: US Helicopter Is Real-Life Google Earth

US Helicopter offers eight-minute commutes from Manhattan to JFK, and if you're looking for a hard-to-find rush before your flight, this is totally the way to go. But if you're planning to spend your ride running the numbers on your "deal," you probably won't be pleased.

One thing is for sure, if you do end up flying US Helicopter you will be treated a real-life Google Earth experience. As you fly just above NYC, golf courses and JFK, you being to feel as if you have been transplanted into the popular mapping software. Doesn't Jamiroquai call that virtual insanity?

After the break we will begrudgingly crunch the numbers for you, but be forewarned, do it for the rush--not the savings or convenience.

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Airlines / Eos / US Helicopter / All Business Class Carriers / → All Tags

Eos Airlines Inks Deal with US Helicopter

Swanky transatlantic carrier Eos Airlines just added another perk for its pampered customers. Starting this week, the jetsetters who buy unrestricted tickets on the all-biz-class airline get a free US Helicopter transfer between Manhattan and JFK. Since security screening and check in is handled at the heliport, passengers have only an eight minute ride between them and their Eos flight.

Now before you go thinking this is some kind of great deal, know that one-way unrestricted fares on Eos run around $4,000. One-way US Helicopter flights in the evening--the time of those JFK-Stansted flights--run around $165 all-in.

Before you ask, no, this doesn't mean Eos has some big scheme to buy up financially troubled US Helicopter. We asked. For now anyway, it's just a pretty cool perk worth about four percent of your ticket price.

Related Stories:
· More Coachless Flights Crossing the Atlantic [Jaunted]
· Is US Helicopter Having Its Final Sale [Jaunted]
· Eos Airlines coverage [Jaunted]