First off, I would like to congratulate everyone who’s recently signed up to have a chopper take you to and from work for the extremely reasonable fee of $200 a day. According to Liberty Helicopters, which begins weekday service next month, there’s been a huge interest in the service, which is heartening.

Liberty has already been approached by 150 potential clients after about a month of advertising, Patrick Day, a pilot and vice president of charter marketing, said in an interview in the cabin of a twin-engine Dauphin at the carrier’s base in Linden, New Jersey. The interest may reflect how far Wall Street has bounced back, said Robert Grotell, an independent transportation consultant in Port Jefferson, New York.

“When an economy turns sour, corporate air transportation seems to be one of the first things that’s affected, and it’s usually one of the last things to come back,” Grotell said in a telephone interview. Corporate clients are responsible for about one-third of helicopter traffic in the New York area, which slid as much as 30 percent in 2009 from a year earlier, he said. “Maybe the economic turnaround is well under way,” Grotell said.

People have apparently been starting to reserve their rides for the summer “earlier than they have in years past” which is phenomenal news. And they’re already starting to think about blowing off work, sans shame, which is great. (“You have guys that are getting overwhelmed on a Friday in June and they just can’t deal with the traffic,” Day said. “At 4 o’clock, I have a helicopter right there.”) Nevertheless, we are most certainly not there yet. According to Liberty, most clients have been signing up for “single-seat” rides, meaning they’re shoved in their with five other guys instead of having the place to themselves, like in years prior to ’09. That makes it practically like public transportation and while I don’t want to scoff because it’s still progress, we need to do better. Right now reformed heli-commuter Joe Gregory is merely salivating at the thought. Let’s get him full on JO&C’ing at what he’s missing out on (because he has nowhere to go).

Comments (19)

  1. Posted by b2b MD | March 26, 2010 at 11:21 AM

    For that kind of money I’d rather bang my secretary in the ass and have $200 left over to bet on NCAA tourney..

  2. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:22 AM

    @1, I bang my secretary and have $300 left over to bet on NCAA tourney … (yes my secretary is that fat and desperate)

  3. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:28 AM

    These guys at Liberty are the ones who crash all time. It’s the same guys who head the head on with a plane a few months ago they are being sued and need money…

  4. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:35 AM

    For that kind of money I’d rather bang @1′s secretary and have $200 left over to buy 2 suits from Jos A Bank..

  5. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:37 AM

    4 = ben bernanke

  6. Posted by guest | March 26, 2010 at 11:37 AM

    Lewis Black as Joe Gregory.

  7. Posted by Bob the Builder | March 26, 2010 at 11:41 AM

    @6 Right on!

  8. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:43 AM

    $15m in annual spending budget trumps all of you. Plebes.

    ~JoeG

  9. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:44 AM

    What about mustache rides to work?

    - Thorny

  10. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:45 AM

    It can’t be as much fun as a gyno-copter! Get yer lube ready!

  11. Posted by guest | March 26, 2010 at 11:47 AM

    Kathy Bates as #2′s secretary.

  12. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 11:49 AM

    @11 no, but I wish.

    #2

  13. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 12:12 PM

    Joe Gregory is employable after all…..

  14. Posted by Anal_yst | March 26, 2010 at 12:19 PM

    Could just take the ferry, which at least on the way home in the summer is essentially a booze cruise down to the shore for what, $15 each way?

  15. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 12:34 PM

    Louis Lewis as Ace Greenberg

  16. Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2010 at 2:52 PM

    Joe Gregory kind of looks like a put-together Louis Black.

  17. Posted by volatilitysmile | March 26, 2010 at 4:32 PM

    @14 – jr. baller, examine your budgetary spending: there MUST be a way not to mix with the hoi polloi.

  18. Posted by TGFBV | March 26, 2010 at 4:45 PM

    I’ll do 1′s secretary on the helicopter. Thanks!

  19. Posted by Anonymous | April 1, 2010 at 12:37 AM

    who the fuck in finance lives in port monmouth and commutes into the city every day – thats weak

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