Joby Aviation will soon begin launching commuter flights out of Manhattan
Joby Aviation (JOBY) said on Thursday that it is set to launch a pilot program offering commuter flights from Manhattan to Westchester County in New York through its recently acquired subsidiary Blade Urban Air Mobility.
Although Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is still in development, Blade currently operates a helicopter-based air taxi service, allowing it to begin offering this service now.
Joby plans to transition Blade’s service from conventional helicopters to its VTOLs once the latter aircraft is launched.
Blade is a luxury service essentially aimed at the 1%, with Andrew Ross Sorkin noting in the DealBook newsletter earlier this year that Blade has “become synonymous with services to beat traffic to get to ritzy locations” for its wealthy clientele.
While Westchester is not strictly a “ritzy” area, it does have a significant number of affluent residents. Located just north of New York City, the county includes some of the wealthiest suburbs in the United States, including Rye and Scarsdale.
And because of its proximity to Manhattan, it’s long been home to people who work on Wall Street and other high-earning industries.
Although Sorkin noted that a one-way helicopter flight from Manhattan to the Hamptons can cost nearly $1,200 per seat on a Blade aircraft, the flights to Westchester will cost significantly less.
Joby said that seats will cost $125 per passenger with the purchase of a Blade Commuter Pass, or $225 without one.
It’s worth noting though that a ticket on the Metro-North commuter train, which takes passengers back and forth from Westchester to Manhattan, only costs $5 during peak hours and $7 during off-peak hours.
Waiting on the FAA’s green light
Blade will begin offering the service on December 1. It will operate in the mornings and evenings.
“With the return of five day work weeks 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,” Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal said in a statement.
Joby said that Blade plans to transition to the VTOLs once the company gets certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its electric air taxi.
The company notes that the pilot program with Blade’s helicopters “will provide valuable insights into operational logistics and flier experience, helping to accelerate and de-risk Joby’s commercialization efforts.”
It seems likely that the FAA will eventually give the green light to Joby’s VTOLs since the Trump administration is seeking to modernize air travel through emerging technologies like electric air taxis.
In fact, the FAA and US Department of Transportation (DOT) are launching the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) that will include at least five pilot projects and will run for three years after the first project becomes operational.
Joby and VTOL rival Archer Aviation (ACHR) have both applied to join the program.
“While Blade has proven the viability of airport routes in the U.S. and Europe, commuter routes will become even more important as new landing zones, exclusive to electric aircraft, become available,” Wiesenthal added.
Joby’s stock is up 76.1% for the year.