Blade launches semi-private flights between New York, Florida

There’s a new way to fly to Florida in style.

Blade, the urban air mobility company best known for its New York City helicopter transfers, plans to launch a new semiprivate jet service between New York and South Florida, the company said on Friday.

The new service, called BladeOne, will fly from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in New York to two destinations: Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF) and President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT) — formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) — in West Palm Beach. The seasonal service begins on Thursday, Nov. 19, and runs through May 2, 2027.

BladeOne flights will be operated under Blade’s brand by Aero, a Los Angeles-based private jet airline that uses smaller jets and serves private terminals rather than the public ones used by standard commercial carriers.

If the business model sounds familiar, there’s a good reason. BladeOne actually started flying in 2015 with a different operating airline, but was discontinued in May 2024.

Related: The wait is over: Blade flights are now bookable using Bilt Cash

It’s also the same model used by the larger semiprivate airline JSX, which already offers service between HPN and both South Florida cities that Blade targets.

In recent years, JSX has expanded significantly, offering flights between various city pairs using customized regional aircraft and operating out of private terminals known as fixed-base operators, or FBOs. That allows customers to show up as little as 20 minutes before departure.

As Blade enters JSX’s turf, it’s bringing a few advantages to the table.

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JSX operates the Embraer E135 and the slightly larger E145 jets, both configured to seat 30 passengers. On the E135, this means a 2-1 seat configuration across 10 rows, while the E145 is laid out in a 1-1 across 15 rows. (JSX also flies ATR 72 turboprop planes, though not on the New York-South Florida routes.)

Aero, however, which will operate the flights on behalf of Blade, only seats 16 passengers on its E135 aircraft, with eight rows of 1-1 seating. Blade will also enable seamless bookings for helicopter transfers between Manhattan and HPN when departing or arriving on a South Florida flight, adding convenience for passengers coming from New York City, New Jersey or Long Island rather than Westchester.

Related: We raced from JFK to the Empire State Building — which mode of transportation was fastest?

For points and miles fans, though, JSX has one clear advantage: The company partners with United Airlines and allows passengers to earn MileagePlus miles on all JSX flights. Blade does not currently offer a frequent flyer program or partnership (although Bilt Cash can be used to book Blade flights).

Aside from the seating configurations, BladeOne flights appear to offer a similar experience to JSX. The company said all flights offer high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi, amenity kits and food and beverage provided by “Blade’s leading partners.”

“BladeOne sits squarely in the white space between a $1,000 first class seat and a $25,000 private jet charter,” Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal said. “Given the significant migration of New Yorkers to South Florida, as well as the increase in business travel between the two geographies, there has never been a better time to reintroduce our service.”