Who Needs a Chopper? Blade Is Launching a Luxe Bus Service to the Hamptons This Summer
It appears aspirational New Yorkers will no longer have to slum it in the Jitney.
Blade Air Mobility Inc., the aviation company that launched a helicopter taxi service in the Big Apple in 2014, will roll out an exclusive new coach service to the Hamptons this summer.
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The Hamptons Streamliner will depart from Hudson Yards and stop at Southampton, Bridgehampton, and East Hampton. Buses returning to Manhattan will stop at an East Side location before finishing at Hudson Yards. Hampton Jitney Inc. has bused passengers to these beach towns for 50 years, but Blade hopes to elevate the hundred-mile journey by dialing the comfort factor up to 11.
“The Hamptons is a market that can use a middle ground,” Blade’s chief marketing officer Roisin Branch said in a statement. “Until electric vertical aircraft are available, we can’t make helicopters less expensive, but we can elevate the ground experience that hasn’t changed in over two decades.”
The new first-class service was developed in partnership with the Jet. The coach company, which began a high-end bus service between New York and Washington, D.C. in 2019, has supplied Blade with two vehicles for the May launch. A far cry from the 54-seat Jitney or 30-seat Ambassador, the Streamliner will feature just 19 motion-canceling seats that can recline up to 45 degrees.
Each seat is fitted with a call button that will get the attention of an attendant should you want a hot towel, cashmere blanket, or free snack. Passengers will be offered tasty treats to enjoy on the journey, such as Château La Coste rosé, Patron’s new El Alto tequila, PopUp Bagels, and Sweetgreen salads. You’ll also receive Hamptons Survival Dopp kits by Dria and dog accessories by Bonefly if you decide to bring Fido.
That level of service comes at a cost, of course. The Streamliner starts at $195 per seat, whereas the Jitney and Ambassador begin at $41 and $64, respectively. You can also fork out $275 for one of the Streamliner’s seven premium single seats, which is still cheaper than paying $1,000 to get the Blade Bell 407 helicopter to the East End.
By positioning the Streamliner between the cheaper bus services and the pricier chopper rides, Blade hopes to appeal to young, cashed-up professionals seeking a nice, easy, and relatively cost-effective way to get to the Hamptons on Friday and back to Manhattan on Monday. It is no coincidence the bus departs from and returns to the tony enclave of Hudson Yards in which many luxury condominiums, businesses, and boutiques reside.
The new service will run from Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day. That’s your summer commuting sorted, then.
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