Booking an air taxi will (one day) feel familiar
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Joby's mobile app to book a future air taxi will be integrated into Uber and Delta Airlines apps. Screenshot courtesy of Joby Aviation.
One day you'll be able to use a mobile app to summon an air taxi as easily as you hail an Uber, following the Federal Aviation Administration's approval of proprietary software from Joby Aviation.
Why it matters: So-called "flying taxis" seem dauntingly futuristic, but the here-and-now approval for a system that'll let you book one makes it clear they're becoming a reality.
Driving the news: Joby said Thursday it had received FAA authorization for its new software operating system, which will be at the core of its planned air taxi service.
- It includes a mobile app for customers, scheduling and management tools for pilots, and a matching system that efficiently pairs customers with available aircraft — much like Uber does today.
- The mobile app will be integrated with booking apps for Uber and Delta Airlines (its launch partner).
- Joby said it also plans to sell the software-as-a-service to other partners that buy its aircraft in the future.
Between the lines: Most of the buzz about "eVTOLs" — electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft — is about the design of the aircraft themselves.
- They're ultra-quiet electric planes that take off and land like a helicopter but fly like a plane.
- But as these newfangled planes get closer to FAA certification, companies are beginning to share more about how their on-demand flying taxi services will operate.
Context: The resemblance between Joby's app and Uber's is no coincidence.
- Joby acquired the ride-hail company's air taxi division, Uber Elevate, in 2021.
- In 2019, Uber Elevate had a service called Uber Copter that let customers book a helicopter in New York City via the Uber app.
- The former head of Uber Elevate, Eric Allison, is now chief product officer for Joby, and has been developing the software in tandem with the aircraft since then.
What they're saying: "The air taxi service we plan to deliver isn't like any sort of air travel that's existed before," Allison said in a press release.
- "We expect travelers to book on-demand and to be boarding an aircraft just minutes later, much like the experience of using ground-based ride-sharing today."
The big picture: Joby is one of several air taxi companies promising to decongest urban travel by offering short, emissions-free commutes to airports or across cities.
- A competitor, Archer Aviation, said it recently earned a critical FAA certificate to begin operating as an airline.
- Like Joby (the only other manufacturer to have such clearance so far), Archer is now free to begin refining its systems and procedures in advance of launching its Midnight eVTOL into service.
- Both companies are using traditional aircraft to perfect their operations using employee passengers for now.
- They plan to launch commercial air taxi service in the next year or two, pending FAA certification of their eVTOL aircraft.
What's next: Joby said Thursday it is also starting to build a pipeline of commercial pilots to support an on-demand, high-tempo air taxi service, including a new six-week, aircraft-specific training course.
Editor's note: This story was updated to correct Eric Allison's titles at Uber Elevate and Joby.
