Uber Technologies Inc. will start offering helicopter rides in New York City starting July 9 as the ride-hailing giant finally takes to the skies.

Called Uber Copter, the service offers helicopter rides between Lower Manhattan and JFK Airport complete with vehicle transfers at either end of each flight, according to The New York Times.

The option doesn’t come cheap. Bookings costing between $200 to $225 a person, but in context, it’s not that expensive. As TechCrunch notes, a typical Uber ride between Manhattan and JFK ranges between $70 and $90 but can be higher at peak times.

The Uber Copter flights are also much quicker than sitting in New York traffic, the helicopter ride itself taking only eight minutes. Door-to-door, including transport at either end of the flight, travel times come in at around 30 minutes, quicker than driving directly, which usually takes an hour but can take up to two hours in heavy traffic.

Uber Copter is being operated by Uber Elevate, a division of the company “working toward transforming the world through aerial ridesharing at scale.” It has been previously in the news through its attempts to develop and deliver flying taxis. The division said it will first demonstrate “Uber Air” flights in Los Angeles and Dallas in 2020, with commercial flights to begin in 2023.

“Uber Copter offers the first real demonstration of the Elevate experience,” Eric Allison, the head of Elevate said in a statement. “We’ve built Uber Copter to provide us with insight and real-world experience as we continue to lay the foundation for Uber Air.”

“This is Uber’s first multimodal option, integrating an eight-minute helicopter flight with an Uber trip on both ends with a single tap of a button,” Allison added. “Uber Rewards Platinum and Diamond members will get the first opportunity to try this new fast and seamless way to get between Manhattan and JFK.”

How many willing customers it will find is another question. An existing service from BLADE Urban Air Mobility Inc. offers the same flights for $195 per person or as little as $695 for the entire helicopter is booked in advance, the latter option including seating for six people.

Photo: Uber