MUNICH If you need to get somewhere fast and traffic is looking terrible, you may soon be able to hail a helicopter instead.
But it will likely cost you a pretty penny to do so.
Ride-share giant Uber has announced a partnership with Europes largest plane maker Airbus that will allow users to request helicopter rides with smartphones, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Its a pilot project, well see where it goes but its pretty exciting, Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, told the Journal.
The project will launch this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, partnering directly with Air Resources to provide H125 helicopters, Enders said. Those who want to utilize the service will be offered Uber ground transportation to the choppers, according to the Journal.
This isnt the first time that Uber has dabbled with helicopters the company experimented with the idea back in 2013, offering rides between Manhattan and the Hamptons. UberChopper has also been tested at special events including last years Cannes Film Festival.
Bills for those rides have ranged from the hundreds to the thousands, the Journal reports. But neither Uber nor Airbus released a specific estimate for how much the new service will cost.
An Airbus spokesman told NBC News that the partnership will facilitate a new business model for helicopter operators to access a broader customer base. Airbus is seeking to shore up its helicopter business, which has lagged in recent years due to low oil prices.
More details will likely be released in coming months, but until then, one is left to speculate what surge pricing will look like when youre dealing with choppers instead of cars.
But it will likely cost you a pretty penny to do so.
Ride-share giant Uber has announced a partnership with Europes largest plane maker Airbus that will allow users to request helicopter rides with smartphones, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Its a pilot project, well see where it goes but its pretty exciting, Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, told the Journal.
The project will launch this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, partnering directly with Air Resources to provide H125 helicopters, Enders said. Those who want to utilize the service will be offered Uber ground transportation to the choppers, according to the Journal.
This isnt the first time that Uber has dabbled with helicopters the company experimented with the idea back in 2013, offering rides between Manhattan and the Hamptons. UberChopper has also been tested at special events including last years Cannes Film Festival.
Bills for those rides have ranged from the hundreds to the thousands, the Journal reports. But neither Uber nor Airbus released a specific estimate for how much the new service will cost.
An Airbus spokesman told NBC News that the partnership will facilitate a new business model for helicopter operators to access a broader customer base. Airbus is seeking to shore up its helicopter business, which has lagged in recent years due to low oil prices.
More details will likely be released in coming months, but until then, one is left to speculate what surge pricing will look like when youre dealing with choppers instead of cars.
