A Blade helicopter with the Manhattan skyline in the background. (Blade via YouTube)<\/p>\n
\n November 5, 2025 4:28 PM, EST<\/p>\n
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox<\/a>.]<\/p>\n Traffic\u2019s back, train delays are all too common and city politics have been boiling over. A new commuter helicopter route is aimed at offering New Yorkers a quick escape hatch.<\/p>\n Blade Air Mobility, now part of Joby Aviation<\/a>, is starting a pilot service Dec. 1 connecting Manhattan with Westchester County Airport. The weekday flights are aimed at workers who crave the suburbs but are being called back to the office every day. Estimated travel time: 12 minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the return of the five-day work week 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,\u201d said Rob Wiesenthal, Blade\u2019s CEO.\n \t <\/p>\n RELATED: NYC Commuters Can Dodge Traffic With $95 Helicopter Rides<\/a><\/p>\n Blade\u2019s helicopter route bolsters Joby\u2019s foothold in New York as the company seeks regulatory approval for its all-electric air taxis. If the Federal Aviation Administration gives it the green light, Joby plans to land at more New York locations while operating at a lower cost and with less noise, Wiesenthal said.<\/p>\n With the helicopter service\u2019s speed comes a higher price than driving or taking a Metro-North Railroad train. A single flight costs $125 with a Blade commuter pass or $225 without one. The pass costs $250 a week, $1,000 a month or $10,000 a year for unlimited trips at the lower rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: Uber to Add Joby\u2019s Blade Helicopter Trips to Ride-Hail App<\/a><\/p>\n The flights will run morning and evening between a private terminal at Westchester\u2019s airport with no Transportation Security Administration checkpoints and Blade Lounge West on 30th Street and 12th Avenue, near the Hudson Yards office hub.<\/p>\n