NYT event listing for Children's Museum, Nov 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Short-term Improvement: Ferry Service to JFK The Port Authority is undertaking efforts to develop a passenger ferry service linking Lower Manhattan and Midtown to the airport as a short-term access improvement complementing the AirTrain JFK links to the LIRR and the subway system. From Lower Manhattan, ferry service could provide a reliable 40-50 minute service to the airport. The Port Authority anticipates ini­ tiating the service by late 2005.

Downtown Manhattan Heliport In addition to the above-described rail service, a much smaller scale, relatively inexpensive, supplemental airport service for business executives and other travelers could be created in the form of regularly-scheduled Lower Manhattan helicopter service from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (DMH) at Pier 6.

New York has a long history of helicopter services, including services to and from the area's three airports. However, no scheduled services are operating at this time. The last scheduled airport service from Manhattan ended two decades ago; only high price range chartered services are cur­ rently available. Lower Manhattan is therefore positioned to offer a unique amenity by providing a premium business district-to-airport service on a scheduled (not merely chartered) basis.

To enable the provision of regularly scheduled helicopter operations in New York City, a system of regulations would be required to manage service operations between the downtown Pier 6 heli­ port and the area's major airports. This system would need to set guidelines for passenger securi­ ty, equipment maintenance, ticketing, baggage handling, flight scheduling, and other service parameters. Provisions would be needed to help reduce noise impacts to the greatest practical extent. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would need to review and refine the area's helicopter flight path system to ensure that new service would not interfere with air­ plane traffic and would allow for both visual and instrument flights. With comprehensive operat­ ing regulations in place, helicopter service providers would have greater certainty in developing and implementing regularly scheduled flights.

Very little capital investment would be required to initiate this service. The landing and terminal facilities at the DMH and the helicopter facilities at the area's three airports are in good condi­ tion. The barriers to regularly-scheduled helicopter service to the airports are organizational rather than infrastructural.

68 Lower Manhattan Transportation Strategies

NYC-WTC_000143277