United To Offer Air Taxi Service Between O'Hare And Chicago In 2025

CHICAGO — Commuters and visitors looking to avoid either driving downtown Chicago or taking the L or a ride share service from O’Hare International Airport will have a new option starting in 2025 — and for roughly the same price as taking an Uber.

California-based Archer Aviation and United Airlines on Thursday announced plans to launch the first air taxi service between O’Hare and Chicago’s Illinois Medical District starting in 2025. The trip, which will land passengers at Vertiport Chicago, North America’s largest takeoff and landing site, will take an estimated 10 minutes, officials from the two companies announced.

A similar trip by car can take nearly an hour depending on traffic.

The early launch routes will focus in on airport to city center transportation service, which are referred to as “trunk” routes, according to a news release. Once the trunk routes have been established, the next step will be to build out “branch” routes to connect to surrounding communities.

"Both Archer and United are committed to decarbonizing air travel and leveraging innovative technologies to deliver on the promise of the electrification of the aviation industry,” Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures, said in a news release. “Once operational, we’re excited to offer our customers a more sustainable, convenient, and cost-effective mode of transportation during their commutes to the airport.”

In a statement provided to Patch by the Federal Aviation Administration, officials said that the FAA is working on certifying eVTOL aircraft and writing the standards that pilots must meet to fly them. T

The agency released the airworthiness criteria that two companies — Archer and Joby — must meet for us to certify their aircraft, officials said. Safety will dictate the certification timeline, but federal aviation officials expect to see these aircraft in the skies by 2024 or 2025.

The goal of the partnership, officials said, is to provide residents and visitors to Chicago with a safe, sustainable, low-noise, and cost-competitive alternative to ground travel, officials said. The company expects the trip cost to be competitive with Uber Black service between O’Hare and the downtown region. The average price of that trip as of now is around $101, according to Uber Black.

“Here in Illinois, we are taking bold steps to lead the clean revolution—paving the way for a more sustainable future for our state, our nation, and our world,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a news release. “I can’t think of a better team than Archer and United to partner with as we work to ensure our existing aviation infrastructure can support this new and exciting form of transportation.”