The Future of Commuting Is a Flying Taxi
This story was produced by WIRED Brand Lab for Honeywell in September 2019
It’s the dream of anyone stuck in an endless traffic jam during rush hour: Instead of looking at a wall of brake lights from behind the steering wheel, getting into a futuristic-looking machine and flying above it all. The commute could take minutes by flying machine instead of hours of wasted time on the ground in a car.
Increasingly, that dream is becoming a reality. Starting this summer, Uber Copter began offering helicopter rides from lower Manhattan to JFK Airport for about $225 per person. Meanwhile, competitors like Blade and the Airbus-owned Voom hope to give Uber a run for its money.
Soon, however, there will be a new alternative as well: Urban Air Mobility vehicles, an airborne cross between a drone and driverless car. The pitch…