What if you could fly to the airport instead of being stuck in traffic? Senior producer Jacky Zarra tested out Blade, a helicopter commuting service that flies passengers from the Hudson River to John F. Kennedy International Airport, to see if it was worth the high price.
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00:00One of the worst parts of traveling is how long it takes to get to the airport.
00:04But is that a problem of the past?
00:06This company claims that you can get to JFK Airport in five minutes in a helicopter.
00:10So we're right on the West Side Highway on the Hudson River.
00:13This is where the heliport is.
00:16I'm a little tiny bit nervous.
00:18I've never been on a helicopter before.
00:20I'm also definitely more worried because of all the recent helicopter and plane accidents.
00:24There were about 90 helicopter accidents in 2024 with 30 fatalities.
00:30Usually an Uber from West 30th Street to JFK would cost you close to $100 compared to this helicopter which costs $200.
00:38And it works just like Uber.
00:40The price surges depending on the day and the time.
00:42But if I do actually get there in five minutes it might be worth the money.
00:46I did see on their website that bringing a bag over 25 pounds costs an extra $145.
00:52So if you have a normal suitcase this trip would technically cost $345 which is a lot more.
00:58I hope it's cute in there.
01:00The lounge is decorated.
01:02Very trendy.
01:04It has a full bar.
01:06It has a privacy room if you need to take like work calls.
01:08And it has these really nice seats and couches where you can look out at the helipad and at the water which is really nice.
01:16And again this flight is $200 so this place should be nice.
01:19Oh my god the helicopter is literally landing.
01:22I think that might be mine.
01:23I am very skeptical that they're gonna get me there in five minutes.
01:27I think it might be closer to like 10 minutes.
01:30I'm gonna time myself when I get on the helicopter so we'll see.
01:33I was lined up with the one other passenger that was going on my helicopter and the company was very strict about safety.
01:42However this is really where my nerves started kicking in.
01:46Taking off on a helicopter is very different than taking off on a plane.
01:49I definitely could feel it a lot more.
01:52It was a little bumpy and my stomach was definitely not feeling great.
01:55But then we got to cruising altitude and these views were just incredible.
02:03It's a way more scenic view than a dirty highway.
02:06The helicopter itself was pretty cramped.
02:08Definitely more cramped than a car.
02:09And they had these little windows on the side that were open so that kind of freaked me out a little bit.
02:14Once we landed I stopped my timer and the flight came out to be about 7 and a half minutes.
02:19I was then directed to my own personal escalade which brought me directly to my terminal.
02:24That took another 11 minutes.
02:25If I factor in the time it took me to drive to the Blade heliport which was 30 minutes.
02:30My overall travel time to the airport comes out to be 48 minutes.
02:34Which still saves me about 20 to 40 minutes depending on the traffic.
02:38The actual helicopter flight itself was probably my least favorite part just because it was a little scary.
02:43If you're afraid of heights this definitely is not for you.
02:47It was a very fun and exciting experience and I get the appeal but it seems like something more catered towards the 1% than the average person.
02:55But I've made a lot of pictures.
02:58I love you.
02:58I love you.
02:58I love you.
02:59I love you.
03:00I love you.