Semiprivate jet and charter service Aero is offering affluent flyers a direct trip from Los Angeles to the Hamptons in New York this summer.
For a little over $7,500 a seat starting June 22, members can fly out of Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in California into New York City, where they will transfer jet side to a Blade Air Mobility turboprop for the short final leg to East Hampton Airport (KHTO).
Flights from Los Angeles to East Hampton will run Fridays between 11:30 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. EDT and from the Hamptons back to LA on Sundays between 2 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. EDT, through August 30.
Aero did not name the airport where customers will transfer to the Blade turboprops, describing it only as the “closest airport to New York City” and noting flyers will avoid the congestion of John F. Kennedy International (KJFK). The company’s website indicates that it is not Newark Liberty International (KEWR) either, leaving LaGuardia (KLGA) as a possible destination.
Per Aero, passengers will walk just a few steps to the Blade aircraft and check in at private FBO lounges, avoiding lengthy security lines. The direct route eliminates fragmented alternatives—flying commercial and transferring to a helicopter, chartering a private jet, or languishing in traffic on the Long Island Expressway.
“Even New York to the Hamptons can take half a Friday in typical summer traffic,” said Aero CEO Ben Klein in a statement. “Add a coast-to-coast leg, and the weekend is over before it begins.”
Aero Expands
The new Los Angeles-to-East Hampton route will be operated by Aero’s fleet of Gulfstream IV-SPs, which entered service last year. Per the company, the GIV-SPs offer the only book-by-the-seat, long-haul private jet flights from New York to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Maui. The latter route launched late last year.
In June, Aero plans to increase the frequency of its Los Angeles to New York City route to three round-trip flights per week. It intends to open more new routes as it heads into its fifth anniversary, including Miami to Los Angeles (starting November), Miami to Aspen, Colorado (starting December), and at least one more unspecified east coast route this summer. The Miami-to-Aspen flights would be the only nonstop service on that route, Aero said.
New lounges at FBO terminals in New York and Miami are planned to elevate the customer experience, as are upcoming fleet additions. Aero plans to add more GIV-SPs this year and double its fleet, which also includes Embraer ERJ-135 and Legacy 600 jets.