For those who hate being stuck in traffic, the future looks bright. With the help of flying taxis from Archer Aviation, a trip that would take 1.5 hours by car could be completed in just five minutes.
The company has begun positioning itself as the primary transportation option in Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Olympics, offering short flights at costs roughly equivalent to Uber Black, according to The New York Post.
According to Adam Goldstein, the company’s CEO, its fleet of battery-powered aircraft can reduce a 90-minute car trip to a flight of just five minutes, a project he described as “once in a generation.”
“From an aviation standpoint, this is one of the most exciting things happening in the industry,” Goldstein told The California Post.
The aircraft are designed to fly at roughly the same altitude as a helicopter, between 1,500 and 2,000 feet. But the problem with helicopters, which use a single large rotor, is that they produce a distinctive noise, limiting their use in large urban areas.
However, Archer’s aircraft rely on multiple small propellers within the rotor disk and are therefore much quieter. “These aircraft are closer in size to a car than to a 787,” Goldstein said.
He added that a fully loaded Archer aircraft weighs less than three tons, roughly the same as a Tesla Model X, but with twice the battery range.
Each of these aircraft costs about $2.5 million to build, with a massive factory in Atlanta responsible for large-scale production.
In May, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games named Archer Aviation as the official aerial taxi provider for Team USA and the event.
Since then, the company has closed key deals for space rentals and acquired Hawthorne Airport, just three kilometers from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, to serve as its operations hub.
Passengers will be able to book flights through the Archer app, similar to an app-based transport service like Uber, while prices will match the Uber Black service, making it accessible for Los Angeles residents who want to avoid traffic, according to Goldstein.
For reference, an Uber Black ride from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the LA Memorial Coliseum, where the games are held, costs just under $100.
However, while Archer is receiving government support, local residents and aviation critics have reacted negatively, circulating a petition to prevent its operation, arguing that the aircraft is noisy, flies too low, and lacked community engagement in the project.
Goldstein, however, compared the skepticism to the initial fear people had with autonomous cars, like Tesla’s FSD service. “You just need to show them. You need to show, not tell,” he said.
Photos: Archer Aviation. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
