Growing up watching shows like The Jetsons or movies like Back To The Future gave viewers the opportunity to fantasize about all the possibilities of technology.
Well, the kids who spent their youth envisioning the future have now made those dreams a reality.
You can forget about waiting three hours on the 405 to get to LAX airport, because taking an air taxi is now the way to go!
Sitting in traffic on the way to the airport is one of the worst parts about flying.
But what if you could hop on a taxi right near your home, and then hover above the gridlocked highways right to your boarding gate?
It seems too good to be true!
Well, United Airlines is ready to try this futuristic feature known as the air taxi.
This small electric aircraft uses specialized propellers that allows the aircraft to lift off vertically without the need for a runway strip.
Think of a giant drone with the interior of a luxury vehicle!
Because the air taxi does not use any fuel like the big engines of traditional aircraft, and has four small sets of propellers instead of large propellers like a helicopter, the air taxi is virtually inaudible and a much smoother ride.
Unlike the DeLorean hovercraft designed and built by Matt Riese in California featured on Tech Insider, the air taxis United plans to rollout will rise high above the city streets, can go for up to 60 minutes on one charge, and can reach speeds of up to 150mph.
United Airlines announced they are purchasing 200 of these efficient electric taxis to help passengers get to the airport from urban areas, according to CBS News.
Electric-aircraft startup, Archer, has been working on perfecting the technology, and with the help of United, hope to get the first air taxi off the ground and to your door by 2024 – assuming Biden and his administration hasn’t destroyed the country by then.
So far, plans are on track, reports CBS News, pending certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
However, this new wave of the future is not cheap.
In an Archer presentation to investors, making the transition to the airport without worry is worth $1 billion with “an option for $500 million more.”
It’s not surprising that United Airlines is on the forefront of this modern move.
They have made shifts to utilize biofuels and have pledged to “offset all its carbon emissions by 2050,” CBS News reports.
The plan is to have air taxis shuttle passengers from Hollywood to LA International Airport, from New York City to Newark Liberty Airport, and from Downtown Chicago to Chicago O’Hare.
Air taxis have “the clear potential to change how people commute within major metropolitan cities all over the world,” says United CEO Scott Kirby – and about half the emissions!
The question now is this: are the American people ready for an aircraft that seems to defy all the aircrafts we’ve become comfortable with?
Then again, the airplane was once deemed a whimsical idea.
So, if you are one of those people who can’t stand to sit in bumper to bumper traffic as your blood pressure rises on your way to the airport, you may be ready to usher in this technological advancement with joy.
On any note, it is amazing that we’ve reached an age where taking an air taxi is no longer only an option in the Fifth Element.
