GrandView Aviation to launch Washington D.C. to New York City, Baltimore helicopter service

Move over Acela and airline shuttles, Fly Lindy will offer a by-the-seat helicopter service connecting Washington D.C. to Baltimore and New York City

Private jet charter and jet card operator GrandView Aviation is launching a by-the-seat helicopter shuttle service linking Washington D.C. to Baltimore/College Park (CGS) and the Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (KJRB). The service will operate under the banner Fly Lindy.

“Fly Lindy isn’t only about a luxury experience, but it’s safety and security that we promise to our passengers,” says Jessie Naor, Chief Operating Officer of Fly Lindy.

Under the banner Fly Lindy, plans call for scheduled flights on Mondays and Fridays, including holidays.

Flights from Baltimore CGS to Washington D.C. leave at 7 am and return at 6:30 pm.

Flight time is 20 minutes, and the price is $250 per seat.

Flight from Washington D.C. to New York City will depart at 8 am and 3 pm. Return flights from New York to Washington D.C. depart at 12:30 pm and 5 pm. Flight time is about 90 minutes.

Seats are $1,500, and pets in small carriers are allowed. If you have larger pets or want a private experience, you can charter the entire eight-seat helicopter for $8,000.

Depending on weather conditions, the day of your flight, and the number of seats booked, you will fly in either the Sikorsky-76D or Bell 407 GXi helicopter.

According to a press release, the service will start as early as June.

There are no membership options, according to Naor. This month, Flexjet and Sentient Jet parent OneSky Flight purchased Associated Aircraft Group, a helicopter operator selling jet cards and fractional shares in the Northeast. Blade, which offers shared options for New Yorkers heading to the Hamptons and local airports, recently said it was expanding to Chicago.

While Lindy halves Amtrak’s travel time, it comes at a premium to a first-class ticket on Acela, starting at $179, according to the rail service’s website. And while it avoids the hassles of crowded airport terminals, it is still considerably more than a first-class ticket on the American Airlines or Delta Airlines shuttle, priced from $227, according to Google Flights.