Press

Latest:

8/24/2022 Blade Air Mobility: Do Not Fear The Blade.

8/9/2022 Consumers Are Fine. Just Look at Results From the ‘Uber of the Skies.’

7/27/2022 Coming to NYC for the US Open? This Hotel Package Will Get You There in a Chopper.

7/21/2022 Blade CEO Chats About The Service’s Future On The East End.

7/13/2022 Blade just hired its first CMO as it seeks to expand helicopter travel beyond the wealthy.

6/23/2022 This Airline Is Offering Complimentary NYC Helicopter Transfers to Premium Customers.

6/17/2022 Best EVTOL Stock to buy During June: Blade a Cut Above the Rest.

5/24/2022 Private helicopter company partners with luxury NYC condo building.

4/24/2022 Blade Says Air Traffic Will Increase.

1/23/2022 Helicopter Service Blade Doubles Down on Transporting Organs

12/21/2021 Blade Urban Air Mobility (BLDE) CFO With A Company Overview.

11/21/2021 Why BLADEone is the best way to fly between NYC and Miami or Palm Beach.

9/13/2021 Jim Cramer Says Blade Air Mobility Shares Are Cheap and Worth Speculating On

8/22/2021 eVTOL: BLADE's Rob Wiesenthal on SPACs and Electric Vertical Aircraft

6/24/2021 eVTOL: BLADE to Use eVTOL Air Taxis From Eve in South Florida and West Coast

5/27/2021 CNBC: Why Remote Work Is Leading To A Demand Surge For Helicopter Rides

5/12/2021 Cheddar: Wisk-BLADE Partnership Brings U.S. One Step Closer to All-Electric Autonomous Air Taxis

5/6/2021 CNBC: Boeing-Backed Start-Up Wisk Signs First Deal to Operate Air Taxis In the U.S.

5/5/2021 TechCrunch: Wisk Aero and Blade Urban Air Mobility Partner To Bring Electric Car Taxi Services To The Skies

4/14/2021 New York Post: BLADE Aims To Cut Down On Noise With New Quiet 'Electric Vertical Aircrafts'

4/13/2021 CNBC: BLADE CEO Says Electric Vertical Aircrafts Are Coming To A Sky Near You In 2024

2/18/2021 Business Insider: Helicopter Service BLADE's CEO reveals how Netflix sparked his plan to conquer the $1.5 trillion flying car game

2/10/2021 Forbes: Archer To Go Public In Reverse Merger As United Airlines Places Order For Its Electric Air Taxis To Shuttle Passengers To Airport

1/11/2021 Travel Mag: Private Jet Charters In the United States: The Best Companies

12/16/2020 Vertical Mag: Helicopter booking service BLADE goes public, with an eye toward future eVTOL ops

12/15/2020 Investor Place: EXPC Stock: 13 Things to Know About KSL Capital and the Blade SPAC Merger

12/15/2020 The Points Guy: Are flying taxis the future of commuting? BLADE thinks so with announcement to go public

12/15/2020 Financial Times: BLADE: up in the air

12/15/2020 New York Times: BLADE takes off for stock markets

12/15/2020 Business Wire: BLADE to be listed on NASDAQ, Creating the Only Publicly Traded Global Urban Air Mobility Company

12/15/2020 New York Post: Helicopter taxi service BLADE to go public in merger with blank-check company

12/15/2020 AXIOS: BLADE takes electric flights to public markets

12/15/2020 Reuters: Chopper deal, like SPACs, is for aspiring moguls

12/10/2020 Markets Insider: Helicopter taxi company BLADE to go public via SPAC at near $1 billion valuation

BLADE TV Ads:

BLADE Urban Air Mobility

BLADE Los Angeles

TV Interviews:

1/31/2021 Hedgeye Fireside Chat with BLADE CEO Rob Wiesenthal

12/15/2020 Why Blade Urban Air Mobility Decided to Go Public Via SPAC

12/15/2020 CNBC: BLADE founder and CEO Rob Wiesenthal on investors involved in SPAC deal

12/15/2020 Bloomberg: Why Blade Urban Air Mobility Decided to Go Public Via SPAC

View all of our Commercials and Press Videos on our Youtube channel

Historical General Press

About BLADE:

1/23/2020 FOX News: BLADE helicopter service teams up with NYU Langone to save lives

3/23/2019 Flying taxi startup Blade is helping Silicon Valley CEOs bypass traffic

2/11/2019 Sikorsky’s AAG and BLADE Announce Agreement for On-Demand Urban Mobility Option in New York City Using Sikorsky S-76® Helicopter

5/31/2019 Taking Travel, Leisure, and Transportation to the Next Level

12/4/2018 Financial Times: Helicopter Ride App BLADE Sets Sights on India Expansion

12/4/2018 CNN Business: A helicopter app for the wealthy plans to tackle Mumbai's traffic

8/21/2018 Forbes: BLADE Puts Helicopter Or Fixed-Wing Flight Just An App Away

5/22/2018 Axios: Blade raises $38 million to build flying taxi infrastructure

3/23/2018 Venture Beat: Blade is building the infrastructure for an urban air transport future

2/11/2015 Video: CNBC: Helicopter to Hamptons SquawkBox

9/25/2015 Video: Inside Edition : New Yorkers Take Helicopters to Avoid Traffic Caused by Pope's Visit

COVID-19 Updates:

11/24/2020 Yahoo! Finance: BLADE mandates coronavirus tests to fly

11/24/2020 Fox Business: Blade becomes first airline to require COVID-19 tests before flights

11/20/2020 Forbes: BLADE Adds Pre-Flight COVID Tests For Shared Private Jet Flights

11/17/2020 The Points Guy: Blade now requiring pre-flight COVID-19 testing for scheduled jet flights

11/17/2020 Blade rolls out safety measures for staff and passengers — including an oxygen test

6/16/2020 New York Post: Hamptons drive-in screening raises $200K for local food pantries

6/15/2020 The Independent: Drive-In Movie Raises over $200,000 For East End Food Pantries

5/23/2020 Business Insider: The CEO of helicopter startup Blade reveals how the company is totally switching up its strategy as COVID-19 upends travel

5/22/2020 Forbes: BLADE Adds Ultimate Measures To Safeguard From COVID-19 In Helicopters, Jets, Cars

5/6/2020 Coronavirus oxygen levels tested before Blade helicopter boarding

4/3/2020 CNBC: Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal on the company’s response to coronavirus

MediMobility

Helicopter Service Blade Doubles Down on Transporting Organs

Fox News: Helicopter-sharing app Blade pairs with NYU Langone to speed transplant organs

New York Post: Blade helicopter-sharing app to speed transplant organs

NY1: BLADE Helping NYC Hospitals Transport Supplies and Staff

Fox Business: Blade enters organ transport business

Hamptons:

10/30/2020 NYC Executives Commuting to Work by Air From Vacation Homes

8/20/2020 Wealthy New Yorkers plan to commute by private chopper from the Hamptons this fall

8/16/2020 Aviation service Blade says it's seeing demand for daily helicopter commutes from the Hamptons to NYC, and it's launching a September commuter pass for the first time ever

5/14/2020 Helicopter Deliveries, Landscaper Shortages: In the Hamptons, the Coronavirus Summer Is Going to Be Insane

5/5/2020 Hamptons air travel will screen for oxygen levels this summer

8/15/2018 Vanity Fair: Trump, the Only Thing That Could Make Hamptons Traffic Worse, Is Heading to the Hamptons

7/15/2018 What's Hamptoning: BLADE Brings “Precision and Style Back to Aviation”

5/22/2018 The Points Guy: Enter to Win a Flight With BLADE This Summer If You’re Younger Than 28

2/11/2015 Video CNBC: Helicopter to Hamptons SquawkBox

9/11/2015 Business Insider : We flew to the Hamptons like the 1% with Blade, an ‘Uber-for-helicopters’ startup - and it was as fabulous as it sounds

9/11/2015 Business Insider : The ‘Uber of seaplanes’ is taking elite New Yorkers to the beach

7/17/2015 Elite Daily: Forget Uber, the BLADE App Will Actually Pick You Up In A Helicopter

7/5/2015 Curbed Hamptons : White Jumpsuits + Kinky Boots in Your Next Selfie

6/3/2015 NY Times: Take the Hamptons Helicopter; Get the Tamara Mellon Outfit?

5/26/2015 Business Insider: What it’s like onboard the swanky ‘Uber for helicopters,’ where riders get served rosé in sippy cups

5/22/2015 Travel + Leisure: How to Get to the Hamptons: an Important Guide

3/26/2015 NY Observer: There’s a Helipad With a Secret, Luxurious Speakeasy Under the FDR

10/15/2014 NY Times : Your Instagram Picture, Worth a Thousand Ads

8/15/2014NY Post: For $600, join celebs and the nouveau riche in a unique mile-high club

8/6/2014 NY Times: 4 Stylish Ways to Get to the Hamptons

6/30/2014 NY Times: Blade, a Helicopter-Booking App, to Partner With Uber

6/27/2014 Luxury Daily: Fly Blade app connects consumers to Hamptons in just three clicks

6/25/2014 NY Mag: Beats By Dre for Aviation: This App Will Helicopter You to the Hamptons (With a Maserati As Backup)

6/25/2014 Town and Country: How to Get to the Hamptons in 35 Minutes

5/26/2014 NY Observer: At Last, An App That Makes Helicopter Chartering to the Hamptons Even Easier

5/26/2014 Curbed Hamptons: 5 Glam Ways to Get to the Hamptons

5/21/2014 CNBC: Helicopter to your beach house? There’s an app for that

5/19/2014 NY Post: App offers crowdsources chopper rides to the Hamptons

5/21/2014 UrbanDaddy: Super Fly: the Uber of Hamptons Helicopters

BLADE Airport:

2/10/2020 TransportUp: BLADE UAM with CEO Rob Wiesenthal

1/9/2020 Business Traveler USA: BLADE Brings Choice and Personalization to the Skies

8/5/2019 Bloomberg: Blade Offers New York Airport Transfers for $195, Aiming at Uber Black

6/5/2019 Cheddar: BLADE Expands Helicopter Service Between Manhattan to Area Airports

3/28/2019 Forbes: BLADE Brings Jet-Setting To The Masses With $195 Helicopter To JFK

3/25/2019 NY Post: Blade launches helicopter ‘taxi’ service to JFK Airport

3/25/2019 The Points Guy:‘BLADE Continuous’ Now Offering Helicopter Rides From Manhattan to JFK Every 30 Minutes

3/25/2019 TransportUp: 'BLADE Now Offers Continuous Flights Between Manhattan and JFK'

3/25/2019 Video Fox: Closing Bell with Liz Clamon

3/25/2019 Transport Up: BLADE Now Offers Continuous Flights Between Manhattan and JFK

3/25/2019 Video Fox: Good Day NY

BLADE Los Angeles:

11/1/2019 BLADE Brings Affordable Helicopter Transfers to the L.A. Area

10/31/2019 How This Company’s New Flights Will Get You To L.A. Concerts And Basketball Games Faster Than Ever

10/30/2019 Blade expands helicopter service in the L.A. area

BLADE Bay Area:

6/14/2019 New York Times: $195 to Helicopter to Work

6/10/2019 Oakland to Palo Alto in 10 minutes? Yeah, you can do that: Here’s how.

3/29/2019 CBS San Francisco: Aviation Startup Aims to Cut Commute Via Flying Taxis

3/23/2019 TechCrunch: Flying taxi startup Blade is helping Silicon Valley CEOs bypass traffic

3/5/2019 Transport Up: BLADE Tests Urban Air Mobility Pilot Program in The Bay Area

BLADEone:

2/13/2019 These Startups Will Get You on a Private Jet—at a Fraction of the Typical Cost

1/25/2017 V Man: Blade is now Offering Private Jets From New York to Miami

12/2/2016 The Points Guy : BLADE Unveils Retrofitted CRJ-200 for Private Flights to Miami

11/30/2016 Huffington Post: Of Course The SJP-Designed Flight Attendant Shoes Are All Sparkle

11/29/2016 Elite Traveler: Fly from New York for Art Basel

11/28/2016 Luxury Daily: Blade revives shuttle service to Miami in time for Art Basel

11/30/2016 Yahoo: Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Rowley Designed the Chicest Flight Attendant Uniforms of All Time

11/30/2016 Footwear News: Sarah Jessica Parker Is Spreading Her Fashion Wings

11/30/2016 ELLE: Sarah Jessica Parker Just Did a Poetry Reading at Art Basel

11/29/2016 Travel Daily News: BLADE announces the Second Season of BLADEone, the first scheduled private jet service between New York City and Miami

3/2/2016 New York Times : A Gulfstream Jet to Miami – And a Hotel on the Beach

3/1/2016 Conde Nast Traveler : The Miami Beach Weekend Getaway We All Want to Take

2/17/2016 Fox News : The Uber for Helicopters and Jets

12/23/2015 Elite Daily: Life Goals: How Twenty-Somethings Are Making Private Jets Work for Them

12/17/2015 The Points Guy Blog: 5 Ways BLADEone Is Bringing Back the Golden Age of Travel

11/25/2015 Vanity Fair: Art Basel–Goers Can Take a $2,200 One-Way Private Helicopter and Jet to Debauchery

11/25/2015 Business Insider :‘Uber for helicopters’ startup Blade new offers private jet service to Miami, and it wants your flight to be as fun as your vacation

11/29/2015 NY Post: BLADE’s CEO eyes re-creating flying’s golden age

BLADE Aspen

12/25/2019 Fly BLADE nonstop to Aspen from New York and Los Angeles

BLADE Airport

10/25/2019 Sheltair Aviation & Blade announce partnership to enhance options for the aero commuter

7/14/2019 Chop, chop! Busy New Yorkers go by helicopter, Uber’s new ride

7/11/2019 I took a $120 Blade helicopter flight from midtown Manhattan to JFK Airport — here's what it was like

7/10/2019 The Points Guy: Blade Frequent Flyer Pass Can Save You up to $100 per Ride

2/19/2019 CNBC: American Airlines, Blade partner to give luxury fliers helicopter rides to..

2/19/2019 Helicopter Investor: Blade partners with American Airlines for airport transfers

2/19/2019 Travel Pulse: American Airlines Steps Up Five Star Service at LAX, JFK Airports

11/24/2015 CNN Money: How to Outsmart the Pope Francis traffic jam

9/25/2015 CNBC: A $95 chopper ride to avoid pope gridlock

9/25/2015 Inside Edition: Need to Avoid Pope Traffic? Take a Helicopter for $95

9/25/2015 The New Yorker:Helicopters in the Heavens, Popemobile on the Ground

9/24/2015 Esquire :The Pope Is Coming to New York, So Naturally People Are Fleeing in Helicopters

9/24/2015 Fortune: Pope traffic a pain? Pay ‘Uber for Choppers’ $95 to fly over it

9/24/2015 Mashable: How to Avoid Pope Francis traffic? Take to the heavens in a $95 helicopter ride

9/24/2015 NY Post: Avoid Papal Traffic with a $95 Helicopter Ride

9/24/2015 NY Daily News: Helicopter app service BLADE is offering $95 crosstown copter trips to people trying to avoid hellish traffic during Pope’s visit

9/24/2015 Town and Country:Tomorrow You Can Fly Around Around NYC’s Nightmare Traffic for $95

9/24/2015 Vanity Fair: New York’s Fitness Studios Warn Clients: Pope’s Here

9/24/2015 BLADE Slicing Through Traffic

12/18/2014 Forbes: BLADE App Will Now Fly You to Your Flight

12/18/2014 Lux Expose: Blade Simplifies Short-Distance Travel for the Holidays

11/26/2014 NY Observer: Private Helicopter App ‘Blade’ Will Now Bring You to Your Private Jet

11/25/2014 CNN Money: How the .01% do Thanksgiving: helicoptering to private jets

11/25/2014 CNBC: Blade: NYC to NJ in 5 minutes

11/25/2014 CNBC: Choppering to your private jet just got cheaper

11/25/2014 NY Post: How to cross the Hudson River for ‘just’ $800

BLADE India

11/19/2019 Fortune India: BLADE is designed to offer customers the luxury of convenience

10/16/2019 Money Control: Now, take a helicopter to fly from Mumbai to Pune

9/24/2019 Times of India: Pune-Mumbai chopper service to take off next month

9/24/2019 Condé Nast Traveller: Mumbai to Pune helicopter service BLADE starting in October

9/24/2019 Times Travel: Mumbai to Pune, Mumbai to Shirdi helicopter service to start mid-October

3/4/2019 Mumbai Live: Now Travel From Mumbai To Pune In A Helicopter

2/6/2019 Flight Global: Blade readies for Indian service launch

1/29/2019 GQ: Blade India: Everything you need to know about the ‘Uber of helicopters’

12/17/2018 Forbes India: Soon, hire a copter from Mumbai to Pune

12/16/2018 Outlook Traveller: Why Take The Road When You Can Fly?

12/14/2018 Financial Times: Helicopter ride app Blade sets sights on India expansion

12/12/2018 Business World: Fly Blade And Hunch Ventures Gear Up To Fill Loopholes In The Urban Transportation Industry Of India

12/9/2018 India Pages: Fly Blade, ‘Uber of Helicopters’ will soon take you from Mumbai to Pune in minutes

12/8/2018 Zee Business: Chopper firm Fly Blade forays into India in JV with Hunch

12/6/2018 Condé Nast Traveller: BLADE, the “Uber for Choppers”, to launch India ops from Mumbai

12/6/2018 Qrius: Tap, tap, fly: Blade, aka Uber for helicopters, is here to relieve Mumbai’s traffic congestion

12/6/2018 PuneMirror: Chopper Rides to Mumbai Soon

12/6/2018 India.com: Intercity Helicopter to Launch From Mumbai to Pune and Shirdi Soon

12/6/2018 Asian Sky Media: BLADE Flies in Mumbai: Will Heyburn on BLADE's Expansion Into India

12/5/2018 Mint: Fly Blade, ‘Uber of Helicopters’, set to take off from Mumbai

12/5/2018 Business Line: NY-based aviation start-up BLADE to start operations in India

12/5/2018 The Indian Express: Fly blade helicopters to start India operations

12/5/2018 Times Travel: Very soon, taking a helicopter ride from Mumbai to Pune will be a reality

12/5/2018 Financial Express: India bound: App-based US copter rides firm to launch India service

12/5/2018 Business Today: Move over buses, you'll soon be able to take a helicopter from Mumbai to Pune

12/5/2018 The Live Mirror: Good News! Mumbai-Pune Helicopter Service Set To Begin

12/5/2018 Late LY: ‘Uber of Helicopters’ Fly Blade to Start Service in India from March 2019, Now Hail a Chopper From Mumbai to Shirdi and Pune

12/5/2018 Inventiva: NY based Aviation Startup BLADE Starting India Operation to Create Your Own Crowdsourced Flights

12/5/2018 News India: BLADE to launch Urban Air Mobility Pilot Program in India

12/5/2018 Airportcities: FLY BLADE- The UBER of Urban chopper service Enters India

12/4/2018 Economic Times: Chopper firm Fly Blade forays into India in JV with Hunch

12/4/2018 CNN Business: A helicopter app for the wealthy plans to tackle Mumbai's traffic

12/4/2018 CNBC: A US ride-sharing app for helicopters is expanding its operations to India

12/4/2018 Business Standard: Chopper firm Fly Blade forays into India in JV with Hunch

12/4/2018 Tech Startups: Top startup news for today, Tuesday, December 4

12/4/2018 India Global Business: Chopper firm Fly Blade forays into India

BLADE Festival Press

4/12/2019 Billboard: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8506922/helicopter-service-blade-coachella-rides

3/25/2016 Billboard: BLADE Helicopter App Partners With Uber to Provide Coachella Transportation

3/25/2016 Fortune:Uber and Blade Will Fly You to Coachella in a Helicopter for about $4,000

3/25/2016 The Verge: Uber and Blade partner to offer helicopter rides to Coachella

3/25/2016 Yahoo News: Helicopter start-up Blade links with Uber to offer Coachella transportation

3/25/2016Financial Times: Uber takes flight with Blade in helicopter shuttle service

3/24/2016 Business Insider: Uber is working with helicopter startup Blade to fly Californians to Coachella for $700 a seat

3/24/2016 NY Post: Blade partners with Uber to offer helicopter rides to Coachella

BLADE Bounce – Park City, Sundance Film Festival Press

1/28/2016 Forbes: The Best of Park City: Celebrities and Billionaires Flock to this Snowy Mountain Utah Escape

1/23/2016 Deadline Hollywood: Sundance Chopper Rides Halted After Arrests Threatened By Sheriff – Update

1/20/2016 Business Insider: ‘Uber for helicopters’ startup Blade wants to be your private chauffeur during Sundance Film Festival

1/20/2016 Mashable: Sundance Festival-goers can helicopter into Park City with Uber-like app

1/20/2016 Conde Nast Traveler:Uber and Blade Will Get You to Sundance by Helicopter

Montauk Sky

6/21/2018 The Points Guy: BLADE Is Offering a Cheaper Alternative to Fly to Montauk

6/14/2018 Curbed: Montauk Sky is Blade’s less expensive way to fly to the Hamptons

6/13/2018 The New York Post: Blade CEO has new, no-frills way to get you to the Hamptons

BLADE Seaplanes to the U.S. Open

6/15/2018 Newsday: Want to avoid U.S. Open traffic? Take a seaplane for $795

6/12/2018 Page Six: Hotshots taking seaplanes to Southampton during US Open

6/1/2018 Golf Magazine: Want to beat the traffic from New York to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock? Try a seaplane

BLADE Speedboat Ultra Activation Press

3/16/2016 The Wrap: Tiesto takes BLADE speedboat to his ULTRA set

3/16/2016 Dancing Astronaut: Blade announces speedboat transportation to ULTRA

New Years Eve Activation

12/23/2016 TravelandLeisure.com: How to Plan a Last Minute Trip to New York City for New Year’s Eve

12/22/2016 Observer: Spend New Year’s Eve in a Helicopter Above Times Square

HeliPhoto Activation

11/23/2016 Inside Hook: THIS IS THE ULTIMATE NEW YORK HELICOPTER RIDE, PERIOD.

2/27/2016 Fox News: Abby Huntsman overcomes her fear of heights

Woodbury Commons Activation

11/18/2018 NY Post: Woodbury Common is hooking up shoppers with Black Friday helicopter rides

Holiday Gifting/ E-commerce

11/19/2019 Best Products : 28 Over-the-Top Holiday Gifts for When Budget No Longer Matters

Telfar SS19 NYFW Show at BLADE Lounge East

9/13/2018 Vogue: The 5 Beauty Trends That Stole Our Hearts at New York Fashion Week

9/12/2018 Paper Magazine: Ian Isiah, Moses Sumney, and Selah Marley Perform at Telfar

9/11/2018 Sleek: Denim flares and FAKA ignite Telfar’s rain-drenched helipad runway

9/10/2018 Fashionista: With Spring 2019, Telfar is Laying the Foundation for a Real, Sustainable Business

9/10/2018 i-D / Vice: Telfar Remakes Americana in his Own Image

9/10/2018 The New York Times: Anti-Algorithm Fashion

9/10/2018 Vogue: Telfar Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear

Partnerships

6/17/2016 In Style: Net-a-Porter Launches Summer Partnership with Blade Helicopter Service

6/15/2016 WWD: Net-a-porter, Mr Porter Partner With Blade

6/16/2016 Curbed:Net-A-Porter and MR PORTER Partner with Blade to the Hamptons

Founders, Investors, and Other Press

5/19/2019 NY Post: Hamptons helicopter startup scores highflying investors

3/22/2019 Ocean Drive: How Blade Makes A Trip to The Bahamas The Ultimate Weekend Getaway

9/10/2018 The Knot: Helicopter Company Blade Is Now Offering Wedding Packages for The Most Luxe Entrance Ever

3/8/2018 Vertical Magazine: Airbus, Blade see growing future for urban air transport

1/7/2016 CNN Money: Where Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are putting their money

1/7/2016 Entrepreneur: How a Former Music Industry Exec Got this Helicopter Service Off the Ground

11/30/2015 CNBC: How the ‘Uber of Helicopters’ Is Planning to Expand

10/15/2015 Business Insider: Meet the founders of Blade, the startup that's bringing helicopter rides to New York City's smart set

7/30/2015 Forbes: Meet BLADE, the Startup That Is Cornering The Short-Distance Aviation Market

6/17/2015 NY Times: Warner Music Executive Is Leaving to Lead Helicopter Start-Up Blade

6/16/2015 NY Post : Blade co-founder ditches day job to join full-time as CEO

5/19/2015 Business Insider: Eric Schmidt and other execs back a $25 million Uber-for-helicopters startup Blade to fly wealthy people extremely short distances