My BLADE Helicopter Flight Was Cancelled Last Minute (Full Story)
I was so excited to take my first BLADE helicopter flight from Manhattan East 34th St to JFK airport. We lucked out with a beautiful clear day with low wind. Yet our flight was still cancelled just minutes before we were supposed to take off. Even though the situation was stressful and frustrating, I would still book again.
If you’re looking to upgrade your normal Uber to the airport for a scenic helicopter ride, what I learned from my cancelled BLADE flight can still help you.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
What is BLADE?
BLADE is a commercial helicopter service that anyone can book like an airplane flight. They operate in the US, Canada, and Europe in limited regions. In the US, they primarily fly in the NYC area and are best known for their NYC airport shuttle service. They regularly fly between Manhattan and JFK or Newark, with limited service to LaGuardia and other airports.
They do also offer private flights as well.
Booking Experience with BLADE
We only made plans to be in Manhattan a week before our trip, so I didn’t book our Friday evening BLADE flight until Monday afternoon just 4 days before. However, this was not a problem and I had plenty of flight times to choose from.
I booked on the website, though they have an app too. One thing that was confusing to me: instead of selecting a departure time, as you normally would think to do for a flight, you’re supposed to input your desired arrival time at the airport. It then works backwards to help you pick a time. My flight out of JFK departed at 7:20PM, so I input 6PM as my desired arrival time (only because I have TSA PreCheck and no checked bags). I ended up selecting a 5:25PM arrival time from the East 34th Street location because it was closer to where we were in Manhattan.
The BLADE website noted that in the case of a cancellation, they’ll provide a car service for you, so I entered the address we were staying at in Manhattan in case this was needed. Weather is the most common reason for cancellation. Since I booked a few days out, I could see the forecast and was pretty confident we wouldn’t have weather issues.
I read a lot of BLADE reviews online before booking and the only regret I had was that I was booking a flight out of Manhattan. There was no getting around that with my needs, but flights going toward Manhattan get better views. It’s a minor annoyance, I know.
How expensive is BLADE?
BLADE helicopter flight prices can vary, but they start at $195 one way. Our flight on a Friday evening was priced at $270 per person from the East 34th St heliport (the flights from the West 30th St heliport were a bit cheaper). This was for their “Basic” price tier with the least amount of flexibility for changes.
Unfortunately, the BLADE flight only included 1 carry on and a small personal item up to 25lbs. “Small personal item” meant something like a laptop, not a backpack. My husband and I each had a rolling suitcase and a backpack that totaled about 35lbs per person. Thus, we each had to pay an additional $145 excess baggage fee per person at the time of booking (it’s $175 if your luggage is overweight or oversized when you check in).
Ways to Save Money on BLADE Flights
You can save $50 on your first BLADE flight with my code JacquelineS902 (applicable to US flights only excluding the Hamptons).
For even more savings, Bilt Rewards Platinum members can get 1 complimentary BLADE flight per year. Platinum, Gold, AND Silver Bilt members can get a 10% discount on BLADE rides. And for everyone (not just elites), you can earn 2x Bilt points/dollar when you pay for your BLADE helicopter flight with a card linked to your Bilt account (this stacks on top of any rewards you’d earn with your credit card).
Arriving at the Lounge
BLADE’s East 34th St heliport is located at 499 E 34th St, New York, NY, 10016. It was only about a 20 min walk from our hotel, so we decided to make our way there on foot. We initially walked into the wrong building at the heliport because the Atlantic building said 499 on the side – it turned out BLADE was just 1 building south and shared the same number (both buildings say “Atlantic” but only one says “BLADE”). Per my confirmation text, boarding would begin at 5:15PM and we arrived at 5PM out of an abundance of caution.
Once we found the right building, check in was a breeze. We were the only guests in the lounge and one of the two employees quickly scanned our drivers’ licenses and gave us our “boarding passes” (aka slap bracelets with the BLADE logo). The other employee took our bags, weighed, and tagged them.
We were then offered complimentary drinks and snacks and each got a gin & tonic. From there, we enjoyed the empty lounge. Each helicopter only holds a few people, so the lounge had many more seats than necessary. We sat by the window and watched a helicopter land, building anticipation for our flight.
Our Cancelled Flight
Just as we were getting ready to board our flight, one of the employees came over and told us that the helicopter towers at JFK were down and our flight was cancelled. We received a cancellation notice via text a few seconds later. Apparently, this had never happened before. He was apologetic and said they’d get us a complimentary car service ASAP, knowing that our flight was only 2 hours away.
My stress levels immediately skyrocketed. We had booked the BLADE flight to make sure we’d get to the airport with plenty of time because a car or train would take over an hour from Manhattan. And here we were having to take a car anyways.
On our way out the door, they gave us to-go cups for our drinks and complimentary BLADE hats as a form of apology. The BLADE employee took our bags and loaded them into the car for us. Our car service ended up being shared with another woman who would have been on our helicopter ride, but we were dropped at our terminal first. We just barely made our flight.
Interesting note – in writing this article, I was on BLADE’s website to make sure I had accurate information. There I found the following announcement about a ground stop on the day of our flight (4/26). Our flight was outside the time mentioned, but I can’t help but wonder if that was part of the issue.
Final Thoughts
I’m of course extremely bummed we didn’t get to try out BLADE. It had been a talking point in our house all week and we were equally as excited for our 5-minute helicopter ride as we were for business class across the Atlantic. Thankfully, BLADE’s customer service was incredible. In fact, my refund showed up on my card while I was still on the way to the airport. Since we don’t live in NYC, our opportunities to try BLADE are limited, but we absolutely would book again.
Update: in August 2023, I was finally able to take a BLADE flight from Manhattan to JFK. Click here to read the full review.
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