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 NEW YORK (AP) - In about a month, Wall Street executives will be able to leapfrog this city's gnarly traffic, taking an eight-minute helicopter from lower Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport. But there's a twist for those who can afford the pricey ride: federal screeners will be patting down passengers at the heliport, allowing them to fly directly to a JFK gate.
The company behind the venture is hoping this business plan takes off when the only scheduled helicopter service in the country lifts off. But some public officials and aviation experts are wondering why U.S. Helicopter Corp. is getting such a sweet deal.
"Anytime you have a monopoly, you have a competitive advantage," said aviation expert Darryl Jenkins. "It seems like these guys have figured out a legitimate one. It will be interesting to see how long they can maintain it. That's really quite a deal."
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