Leaving A Nice Big (Carbon) Footprint At The Beach

A fantastic service leaves much more time to prepare for the hangers on who weasel their way into the compound:

As Manhattan motorists sit for hours on the Long Island Expressway making slow progress toward their Hamptons weekend getaways, a new $1,600-a-seat round-trip helicopter service is flying to East Hampton, N.Y., from Midtown Manhattan in 35 minutes flat.

While chartered seaplanes and choppers have offered speedy service to the Hamptons for more than a decade, U.S. Helicopter last week unveiled the first scheduled helicopter service to East Hampton Airport, allowing New Yorkers with big budgets to book flights on a whim hours before takeoff. The convenience comes at a price — it’s nearly twice as expensive as some charters.

“Time is money,” the executive director of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, Marina Van, said. “People want to get to New York and back as fast as possible.”

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Other helicopter companies are also offering spruced-up packages to attract more customers. One charter helicopter company, BlueStar, recently debuted a Hamptons HeliCard, where frequent fliers can purchase packages of trips for the summer. The 30-trip package weighs in at $82,000. BlueStar charters accommodate six passengers and cost between $6,000 to $14,000 a round-trip — with Taittinger Champagne served during the short flight.