Never Forget . . . It Goes On The Expense Account

We could invest $6 billion to build a rail link between Lower Manhattan and JFK* but I’m fairly sure people would still be willing to spend more to get to JFK on a helicopter than on an actual airplane to, say, California, and that probably says something about either the importance of a rail link or the willingness of executives to fritter away stockholders’ earnings, I’m not sure which. Oh, and did we mention that the TSA is providing security for the helicopterists? Because you might have missed that detail:

At 7 a.m., U.S. Helicopter, a start-up company, whisked its first passengers from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, over Brooklyn, Queens and the security lines at Kennedy, to the American Airlines terminal. The hourly flights, which last less than 10 minutes, cost $139 each way.

Included in that price is the luxury of avoiding the long security screening lines at the airport. At the request of U.S. Helicopter’s executives, the federal Transportation Security Administration set up a checkpoint, with X-ray and bomb-detection machines, to screen passengers and their luggage at the heliport.

The security agency is spending $560,000 this year to operate the checkpoint with a staff of eight screeners and is considering adding a checkpoint at the heliport at the east end of 34th Street. The agency’s involvement has drawn criticism from some elected officials.

[Chuck Schumer quote deleted to avoid having to provide him an outlet in which to grandstand]

But Charles A. Gargano, vice chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the Wall Street heliport, on Pier 6 in the East River, called the resumption of the service a boon for the downtown economy.

“This is much more than just to have something nice,” Mr. Gargano said. “It is an essential element to rebuilding Lower Manhattan.”

Spare us . . .

But who actually uses this service?

Most of those passengers are expected to be investment bankers and other business travelers who want to save time and avoid the hassles of the normal trek to the airport.

. . .

Bobby Weiss, a self-employed stock trader and real estate broker who was U.S. Helicopter’s first paying customer yesterday, said he would pay $300 for a round trip to Kennedy, and he expected most corporate executives would, too.

“It’s $300, but so what? It goes on the expense account,” said Mr. Weiss, adding that he had no qualms about the diversion of federal resources to smooth the path of highfliers. “Maybe a richer guy may save a little time at the expense of a poorer guy who spends a little more time in line.”

Which companies did it say I have in my mutual fund?

*And if you ask me, the $6 billion project is of course the perfect way to honor the memory of those who perished on Sept. 11. Because nothing says, “Never Forget” like “One-seat ride between Manhattan and JFK.”