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0 pointsArchonical10d ago0 comments

I wonder what % of traffic is to/from JFK. The subway decently connects much of the city to the JFK air train, but it's a fairly inconvenient journey. Toronto's UP express has made travel to YYZ significantly easier, but I doubt it's possible to construct something similar in NYC.

I love aviation, but I also don't see air travel as being a scalable/affordable solution to this problem. Then again, it's only meant to alleviate traffic burden for a certain segment of the population.

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maxdo10d ago

the problem with train it stops ... on every train stop. New york specifically, there are several networks(new jersey, mta, there are lines that are 100+ years old.

In general if you have an affordable enough option you'd never walk into subway, with your several luggages, to travel longer. Train is a decent plan b.

JumpCrisscross10d ago

> if you have an affordable enough option you'd never walk into subway, with your several luggages, to travel longer

I'm moderately wealthy and lived in New York for a decade. I take the train between JFK and Manhattan. (Specifically, the LIRR.) It's faster, more reliable and–for me–more comfortable than taking a car. (It's also safer.) If I have my cat with me or I feel like having fun, I'll take a Blade, but that's realistically only shaving like 20 minutes off the travel time.

maxdo10d ago

LIRR is not a dirty MTA train :) Noisy shaky helicopter is not an electric taxi with 6+ motors that gives you more stability with way less noise that flies after take of using wings.

Cars for sure are less convenient.

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maxdo10d ago

if your air taxi is pilotless and electric, why it can't be scalable.

ArchonicalOP10d ago

How many people do you think enter/exit JFK arrivals and departures every hour? Where are you going to land all those air vehicles? Is this a shuttle service with many seats? How do you plan for the air traffic for that many people?

Dylan1680710d ago

About 7000 on average, but let's say 10000 since demand varies. And let's consider doing 10% of them with helicopters. If we average 3 people per helicopter, that's 170 groups in and 170 groups out. If each landing needs 5 minutes of pad time, that's 14 pads. Make it 20 to handle variation.

Wow, that makes it sound significantly more feasible than I would have guessed.

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fragmede10d ago

Those are all reasonable questions, but if some entity would be able to answer them, of all things, I think JFK, an airport, would be well equipped to handle them.

tqi10d ago

JFK airtrain carries about 30K passengers per weekday in 2025. how many landing pads would be needed to carry a meaningful % of that traffic alone?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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maxdo10d ago

the problem with train it stops ... on every train stop. New york specifically, there are several networks(new jersey, mta, there are lines that are 100+ years old.

In general if you have an affordable enough option you'd never walk into subway, with your several luggages, to travel longer. Train is a decent plan b.

JumpCrisscross10d ago

> if you have an affordable enough option you'd never walk into subway, with your several luggages, to travel longer

maxdo10d ago

LIRR is not a dirty MTA train :) Noisy shaky helicopter is not an electric taxi with 6+ motors that gives you more stability with way less noise that flies after take of using wings.

Cars for sure are less convenient.

1 more reply

maxdo10d ago

if your air taxi is pilotless and electric, why it can't be scalable.

ArchonicalOP10d ago

Dylan1680710d ago

Wow, that makes it sound significantly more feasible than I would have guessed.

1 more reply

fragmede10d ago

Those are all reasonable questions, but if some entity would be able to answer them, of all things, I think JFK, an airport, would be well equipped to handle them.

tqi10d ago

JFK airtrain carries about 30K passengers per weekday in 2025. how many landing pads would be needed to carry a meaningful % of that traffic alone?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse