We love a pre-flight flight’: Perilously late passenger forced to take helicopter to the airport

If you’ve ever flown before, you are probably all too familiar with the stressful rush of getting out of the door on time, making sure you have everything you need, and the hectic commute to the airport. Tensions are only higher when the possibility of missing your expensive flight is hanging in the air. This viral TikTok seems to have inadvertently found a solution to missed flights and airport traffic.

When Kevin Droniak realized that he had read his flight information wrong and had less than an hour to get to JFK airport from his Manhattan apartment, he realized that the only way to avoid buying a new flight was to take a helicopter to the airport.

After making his way to the helipad, his commute to the airport was only five minutes. He was able to board his second flight on time and save a little money (emphasis on a little).

His audience was baffled and delighted by the whole situation, poking fun at Kevin for his inability to read military time and the fact that he paused his mad rush to the airport for a photo op with the helicopter. Many people agreed that they really thought he was joking, and were absolutely floored to find out that Uber helicopters are even an option. “When he said ‘take a helicopter’ I thought it was a joke and he meant ‘welp, I guess I’m missing my flight’ and then he got on a LITERAL HELICOPTER!” said one commenter.

Uber Helicopter was actually released in New York City in July 2019. Currently, it is only available for trips from Manhattan, New York City to JFK Airport. Customers can be picked up or dropped off below 110th Street and in Brooklyn. The service can be booked Monday through Friday from 2-6 PM. Anyone in the designated area is eligible to use the service and you don’t even have to book in advance. As Kevin proved, a last-minute helicopter ride could be the difference between missing your flight and buying a new one.

Kevin posted a follow-up video after his helicopter journey received over 5 million views. He shared that he made it to London, after booking a helicopter to board his budget flight.

He definitely doesn’t recommend this journey from a financial standpoint, but it certainly makes a good story. The next time you find yourself in Lower Manhattan, on a weekday, in the afternoon, and desperately late for a flight, Uber helicopters may be your new best friend.