Originally Posted by
jacobac00
What a great way to start my Friday. That looks like a great flight. Almost a sophisticated party bus.
Thank you
jacobac00.
Originally Posted by
Thunderroad
Looks like fun, SFO777!
I have to confess to a bit of ambivalence about this TR compared to your other, extremely enticing ones, though. In the spirit of YMMV, it's a personal travel thing rather than any criticism of your going this route.
I guess you'd have to be in the right mindset...for fun and socializing
, not to mention avoiding the usual commercial air travel hassles.
Personally, I'm into more of the "settle in, say a quick hi to my seatmate, and then work, sleep, read or watch a movie(s)" mode on most trips. And I wonder about the relative hassles of a taxi to a helipad to a helicopter ride (again,
^) to a waiting room to a bus to the plane, and possibly sitting across from someone en route, compared with the usual travel/airport hassles.
Given the choice of this admittedly very First World problem, I'd probably opt for an upgraded commercial flight cross-country.
Having said all that, I could definitely see the appeal of this to a lot of folks.
And glad you had a great trip!
Thanks
Thunderroad. You make some good points. A lot depends on the mix of people but there is no reason that one couldn't keep to oneself if you chose not to socialize. The couple across from us were pleasant but pretty much kept to themselves. I booked the flight because it was there and I wanted to try it. I doubt I would do it again unless I was in NY or LA and going to the other or somewhere nearby.
Originally Posted by
FallenPlat
Wonderful report, as usual, but I do have to say that I kind of miss the shot you had last time of the chopper pilot working his way down the Hudson using Google Maps on his cellphone.
The Big Sleigh in the sky sure looks like a lot of fun.
Thanks so much
FallenPlat.
Originally Posted by
nydave11
Looks like a fun trip. How was the leg room? It looks a lot like European trains where when you are facing someone and it's a constant battle of "footsie".
Thank you
nydave11. There was lots of legroom and not much footsie once we figured out which side one wanted.
Originally Posted by
BostonFlyer1624
This looks like a nightmare. That many people in a G4? Ughh.
It was perfectly fine sitting in the first 7 seats. And at $0, it's hard to beat the price. Although if I was one of the six pax in the rear Y seats, I might feel differently.
Originally Posted by
EchoVictor
SFO777 ... thanks for the report.
I thought Jetsmarter had certain shared shuttle flights on the East Coast, but that on the other private flights you get the entire cabin to yourself (or yourself plus your guests). Can you clarify how this works?
Also which NYC area helicopter flights are included in the membership? Can I go to JFK/LGA/EWR as much as I want to reach commercial flights?
thank you!
Thanks
EchoVictor. Jetsmarter's business model seems to be changing. Gone is the entire-cabin-to-yourself deal, at least at a $0 cost. Members get 5 seats on a light and 3 seats in a midsize. You can always buy out the other seats at a nominal per seat price or use a second membership to get the whole plane. Give them credit for really expanding their pool of charter company affiliates. They just signed a deal with Delta Jets to sell all their empty legs.
Complimentary helicopter service is available from either W or E heliports but only to connect to a JetSmarter flight.