Voom Launches Helicopter Taxi Service In U.S.

Airbus-owned Voom launched its on-demand helicopter “air taxi” booking platform in the U.S. on Thursday. The company is beginning its U.S. service in California’s San Francisco Bay area, offering flights between airports in Napa, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Jose. Voom, which is also headquartered in San Francisco, has been operating in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2017 and Mexico City, Mexico, since 2018.

“Based on Airbus’ aviation expertise and our proven success offering our helicopter service in Brazil and Mexico, Voom is uniquely positioned to lead the transformation of air travel in the world’s most congested cities,” said Voom CEO Clément Monnet. “We are excited to offer our service in the U.S. and to launch in the same location where Voom was born.”

Voom’s service allows users to reserve a seat via the company’s mobile app or website anytime between 90 days and an hour before departure. Customers are charged on a per-seat basis and the company says the platform “pools passengers traveling to the same destination” to “keep prices affordable.” According to Voom, its services are provided by “highly-vetted” third-party helicopter operators and helipads.