Hamptons helicopter noise making residents unhappy

With traffic, it can take up to two-and-a-half hours to get to East Hampton from New York City. To remedy the inconvenient length of time—as well as sitting in traffic and having to decide between a Jitney or a train—helicopters have become the new way to travel out to the Hamptons.

BLADE, one of the most popular brands to fly east in, costs between $495 and $1,250 for a seat. The ride takes about 40 minutes, but costs more than ten times as much money. Meanwhile, a seat on the Hampton Jitney will cost you $45, but can take up to three times as long to drive out depending on the traffic and time of day.

BLADE was that flew renters out to the Hamptons to see their prospective summer rentals.

Regardless of how happy those who fly BLADE are, locals aren’t pleased with the noise that the helicopter rides have been causing. The area around the East Hampton Airport is one of the worst places on the East End for noise pollution by these helicopters.

There is even a website—Air Noise Report—where people can submit complaints regarding the noise pollution in their area. At this time, 10,940 complaints have been submitted for the year.

In 2013, there was talk of the helicopter traffic and subsequent noise complaints being cause for issuing more restrictions on such transportation. In 2015, there were restrictions made, however the noise is still a problem two years later.

Over Memorial Day weekend alone, over 1,000 noise complaints were filed.

• Fly Directly From NYC to The Hamptons [BLADE]
• Renters can now fly out to see their prospective Hamptons properties [Curbed Hamptons]
• For $600, join celebs and the nouveau riche in a unique mile-high club [New York Post]
• No Airport Restrictions on East Hampton-Bound Helicopters Yet [Curbed Hamptons]
• Judge Limits Restrictions on Flights to East Hampton [New York Times]
• Summer in the Hamptons: Oysters, Rosé, and Helicopter Noise? [Wall Street Journal]