Archer And United Airlines Plan New York City Air Taxi Service
Archer Aviation has added another city to its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft air taxi roadmap.
In partnership with United Airlines, Archer hopes to connect passengers from the heart of New York City to various major and regional airports on the outskirts, offering ride times between 5-15 minutes, versus the usual one to two hours it takes to get there via car.
Archer plans to operate out of existing partner heliports around New York City including East 34th Street, West 30th Street, and the recently renamed Downtown Skyport (previously Downtown Manhattan Heliport) at 6 East River Piers in Lower Manhattan.
Its three city locations will connect passengers to a combination of the following three major airports including Newark Liberty (EWR), John F. Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA), as well as smaller airports including Republic Airport (FRG), Teterboro (TEB) and Westchester County (HPN).
So where does United and Southwest come into the mix? Travelers booking flights will be able to purchase the air taxi service as an add-on to their ticket. United will connect passengers onto further flights through JFK and while both United and Southwest Airlines will offer flights through LaGuardia.
No estimated ticket prices have been revealed yet, but a similar helicopter ride from Manhattan to JFK can run anywhere from $200-250 per passenger.
Archer’s Midnight eVTOLs have a range of 100 miles (~160 km) and can travel at a top speed of 150 mph (~241 km/h), and are capable of carrying up to four passengers and one pilot.
The electric aircraft has a total of 12 small rotors, six of which are able to tilt to assist with forward propulsion. Archer claims the smaller blade design will result in significant noise reduction, making the aircraft practically inaudible from the streets below.
On its product page, they note their aircraft being 100 times quieter than a helicopter, showing a much smaller noise footprint compared to a Leonardo A109C.
They are working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to obtain type certification for the Midnight air taxi. Once this is complete, they hope to begin service as soon as possible as Archer has already received its Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certificate in June 2024.
It’s not clear when the New York service will begin, but Archer plans to launch its service in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics carded to be held in Los Angeles. The air taxi service will also launch out of San Francisco and Los Angeles, connecting passengers between larger airports and a number of smaller fixed-base operators in the respective areas.
