Uber partners with Airbus for Sundance helicopter rides

Uber has already taken over the roads in most major cities. Now it’s getting ready to take over the skies this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

The San Francisco company is partnering with aircraft manufacturer Airbus Group SE for a pilot program that will let Sundance attendees hail a helicopter ride from the Uber app.

Uber spokeswoman Taylor Patterson told The Times that the chopper rides will operate between Salt Lake City Airport and a helicopter landing pad in Park City, a journey that will take approximately 15 minutes. During Sundance, the service will be available to anyone in the area using the Uber app.

The rides, which will cost $200 per person during the day and $300 at night, include Uber SUV service to and from the helicopter pads. Patterson said the service is designed for people arriving at the airport.

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Uber has experimented before with on-demand helicopter rides. In 2013 it partnered with Liberty Helicopters to offer chartered choppers from New York City to East Hampton just before the Fourth of July holiday. The total fare, which included a door-to-door SUV, was $3,000. The ride could be shared among five people.

Last spring, the company teamed up with Corporate Helicopters to fly people from San Diego to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Those rides also included SUV service, could be shared by five people and cost $3,000.

Uber also partnered with Epic Helicopters in Austin, Texas, last year to transport people to the Circuit of the Americas the day of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. The fare, which included an Uber ride to the helipad, was $400.

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Elsewhere in the world, Uber has also offered transportation options that extend beyond cars, such as rickshaws in India and boats in Turkey.

Twitter: @traceylien

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