Uberchopper on-demand rides will be offered at Sundance Film Festival, representatives of the popular ride-hailing service have recently announced.
The Uberchopper project, which provides Uber customers with the chance to have an exhilarating helicopter ride, was first launched back in 2013, when several test trials were conducted between Manhattan and the East End, following a collaboration with Liberty Helicopters right ahead of the Fourth of July.
Afterwards, aerial extravaganza offered by Uber was limited to just a handful of important events, like the Cannes Film Festival, held in France in May 2015, or the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which took place in June at Great Stage Park, in Manchester, Tennessee.
Such services were also provided during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, after Uber joined forces with Corporate Helicopters, or during the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, based on a partnership with Epic Helicopters.
At the time, Uberchopper customers had to shell out even several thousands of dollars in order to enjoy such an exhilarating helicopter ride.
Apparently, this time fare prices for the upcoming Uberchopper flights will be of around $200 per individual throughout the day, and $300 at night time.
The service will be available for the entire duration of the 2016 edition Sundance Film Festival, scheduled to be held between January 21 and January 31 in Park City, Utah.
Uberchopper will mark the collaboration between Uber Technologies, and Airbus Airgroup SE, the world’s second largest aerospace and defense multinationals (surpassed solely by Boeing), based in Toulouse, France.
Airbus had previously targeted its helicopter business at customers from the oil and gas industry, but now, as a result of plummeting petrol prices, few investments are being made in this field, so demand for state-of-the-art commercial choppers is at at all-time low.
Probably that’s why the aeronautics giant is now trying to diversify its clients, by testing unconventional services also, in the hope of identifying a market sector whose potential hasn’t been harnessed yet.
As explained by Tom Enders, Airbus Chief Executive, this will solely be a pilot test for now, but if the business venture turns out to be successful, it may result in a full-blown partnership between the aviation company and Uber.
Even for the ride-hailing startup, which has recently been crowned the most valuable in the world (with a market capitalization estimated at around $62.5 billion), Uberchopper marks a departure fro its usual business, but it’s not the first time that the company has experimented with alternative means of transport.
For instance, in Istanbul, Turkey it’s been providing passengers with on-demand UberBOATs, following a collaboration with Navette.
Similarly, in New Delhi, India, it unveiled UberAUTO, a service providing auto-rickshaw rides, although the trial lasted just around 7 months before being discontinued rather unceremoniously. It remains to be seen if Uberchopper will share a similar fate, or if it turn out to be a fruitful initiative.
Those wishing to test this service must know that first they will be offered a ride in one of Uber’s SUVs, and afterwards they will be picked up by one of Airbus’s H130 or H125 helicopters, in order to embark on one of the most memorable flights of their life.
The helicopter tours will last around 15 minutes, and cover the distance between Salt Lake City Airport and a helipad located in Park City.
Image Source: Uber
