Law Limiting Helicopters at East Hampton Airport May Benefit New All-You-Can-Fly Airline

The helicopter is a fine way to travel, but it induces a view of the world that only God and CEOs share on a regular basis  (Morley Safer)

photo: eastendbeacon.com

Yesterday The New York Post reported that the rich and famous are fuming in the Hamptons.  Why? Because, following noise complaints, a local law was enacted limiting helicopter landings at the East Hampton Town Airport to one per week during the summer, and banning all flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.  My favorite quote is this, by a member of the Quiet Skies Coalition – If these are the same people who are paying $600 to fly out to the East End then they can probably afford fine limousines and bar service for those rides on the LIE.

The helicopter companies, which were making approximately 40 trips per week to East Hampton in the summer filed an action in the United States Federal Court challenging the law.

But, one man’s noise is another man’s music.  It is quite possible that the helicopter restriction will catapult business for the new start-up airline, Beacon, which, beginning this summer, will offer an all-you-can-fly flight subscription service from White Plains and Boston to East Hampton and Nantucket. Why should rich executives sit in traffic on the LIE, when, for $2,000 per month, they can catch unlimited flights on Beacon’s Pilatus PC-12 and King Air 350i executive aircrafts to their summer homes?  Wade Eyerly, the CEO/Co-Founder of Beacon was one of the founders of  SurfAir.

The future is looking up.