What if you could live like L.A.’s billionaire class and simply avoid freeway traffic via a short-distance flight—but, you know, minus the planet-ravaging air and noise pollution? That’s precisely what one California company is attempting to do.
Archer Aviation announced plans today to create an air taxi network for its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. As early as 2026, the company hopes to offer 10-to-20-minute flights on its electric aircraft for trips that could otherwise take an hour or two by car.
Most of the vertiports, as the takeoff and landing sites are dubbed, will be located at commercial airports, including LAX, Burbank, Long Beach and Orange County, as well as a couple of public ones like Santa Monica and Van Nuys. But most interestingly—and timed perfectly ahead of the handoff to L.A. to the 2028 Summer Olympics—Archer has proposed three very sports-focused locations, too: one on the USC campus, one by SoFi Stadium and another near the L.A. Rams’ practice facility in Woodland Hills. (For the public transit advocates out there, some of these areas are or soon will be served by Metro or Metrolink, but the majority of these sites don’t offer direct rail links.)
As for navigating between them, that’ll be the job of Archer’s Midnight aircraft. The four-passenger (plus a pilot) electric aircraft is capable of speeds up to 150mph, and it can tackle back-to-back 20-to-50-mile flights before needing to recharge. Archer says its eVTOL aircraft are 100 times quieter than a helicopter with redundant safety systems that are on par with commercial airliners.
The company expects you to be able to request a ride via its app just as you would a car-based rideshare (as opposed to booking a ticket in advance like a commercial flight). Pricing details have yet to be revealed, but the cost for riders is expected to be higher at first and then a bit lower once the network matures.
Before it can begin service, Archer needs to achieve FAA certification (the process is already underway, with piloted flight testing set to begin later this year) and ramp up manufacturing of its aircraft. It’s already hard at work, though, on inking partnerships for its vertiports: The company already has a relationship with Southwest and United Airlines; it’s working with USC to evaluate the feasibility of using the existing heliports on campus; and it’s coordinating with the Rams to secure vertiports in Woodland Hills and at Hollywood Park. If it can hit its “as early as 2026” projection, that means air taxi service could be up and running by the 2026 World Cup, and a couple of years later, the Olympics.
“This is a big moment for Archer,” said the Santa Clara company’s CEO, Adam Goldstein, in a statement. “Establishing our L.A. network ahead of the global events that are coming to the region over the next three years is a milestone that will put Midnight on display for the whole world to see. L.A. is known for its horrendous traffic—our goal is to offer a safer, faster and sustainable alternative travel option.”
(Speaking of options, air taxis, of course won’t be the only way to get to these events: The majority of people will be encouraged to use Metro rail and buses, Olympic athletes will likely use shuttles with dedicated lanes and everyone else will be encouraged to just work from home.)
This isn’t the first time Angelenos have been promised flying taxis: Uber said it would launch a service by 2020, and that obviously never happened. But Archer’s Midnight vehicles are very much a real thing, with testing already well underway and plans for a similar network in the Bay Area.