A new luxury helicopter “shuttle” service is being offered for quick flights from Midtown Manhattan to the East Hamptons. Luxury one way flights from 34th Street in Manhattan to the East Hampton Airport, a 40 minute chopper ride will be offered for $995-per-seat. The private aviation firm, Wheels Up, announced the new service earlier this week. The problem is Hamptons residents who live below the route have already voiced their complaints against the noisy service.
As reported by the NY Post, the “safety vetted and verified helicopter” holds up to eight passengers and takes off Fridays at 3 p.m. for the summer season, June through August. The serene waterfront towns below, however, are not ready to give up their peace and quiet for the convenience. Residents of the town have been clashing with helicopter services for almost a decade. They have filed lawsuits and complaints with the FAA against the noisy little aircrafts, which typically run Thursday through Sunday during summer, with prices starting at $300.
On Friday, residents and East End elected officials got an early start complaining about Wheels Up’s helicopter service. “This is terrible, terrible, dreadful news. The only question is whether they will fly the northern route or the southerly route over the ocean. It is clear that, at an estimated flight time of 40 minutes, they do not contemplate the prospect of flying around Plum Island. I know that East Hampton knows that the growth of these types of services erode not only the quality of life for our residents but, the quality of life of its own. It is time to detonate the A-bomb — figuratively as it had been referred to by some East Hampton residents — and close that damn airport down,” said Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell.
Southold Town Councilman Robert Ghosio, also spoke out. He demanded that all the aircrafts should “fly over the water” instead of their homes. “It drives people who live here crazy. It’s a barrage of helicopter noise,” Ghosio fumed to the Post. “It gets so loud that it shakes the glassware in cabinets. If you’re having a barbecue outside, you have to stop talking when one flies by because you can’t hear,” he said. “People didn’t have the expectation that the town would become a flight route when they moved here. They moved here because of its quiet, rural summers,” said Ghosio.
“For too long residents have had their quality of life damaged by the constant helicopter fly overs. These helicopters travel the same routes when navigating over our town resulting in the aircraft passing over people’s homes every five minutes. We need a mandated all water route to bring relief to our residents,” said Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith. She added that the FAA should “stop pitting the North Fork and South Forks against each other.”
A representative for Wheels Up did not immediately return a request for comment.
