Testing Blade, a $200 airport helicopter taxi

Описание: Taking a helicopter to the airport may sound extreme, but compared to Uber fares, it’s not as big of a price leap as you might think.

@flyblade is a New York-based helicopter taxi service that shuttles customers between the city and JFK (or Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey) in less than 10 minutes. Its base fare for a one-way trip is $195.

On a recent Sunday, I tested a Blade trip for the ‪@WashingtonPost‬. I sent my husband in a regular Uber ($146) to compare experiences.

Like Uber — or commercial airlines — Blade practices dynamic pricing. The same trip during the week of Thanksgiving, for example, was $325. I booked my seat a couple days in advance, and the best fare for my schedule cost $265. With my first-time-flier coupon registering a $50 discount, the total came to $215.

It felt like a luxurious experience, but it came at an ethical cost. Nonessential helicopter traffic has been increasing for years, and residents living under the flight paths are filing evermore noise complaints. The New York nonprofit Stop the Chop also cites high carbon emissions among its primary reasons for a push to ban nonessential flights over the region.

My full review is at WashingtonPost.com/travel.