Financiers working in Steve Ross’ West Palm Beach office towers may soon have a new way to travel quickly to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. This will be possible through air taxis provided by Archer Aviation, following a partnership between the billionaire chairman of Related Companies and the San Jose-based company, as reported by the South Florida Business Journal.
Archer Aviation develops electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, known as eVTOLs or air taxis. The company plans to establish hubs at several airports across South Florida, including Miami Executive Airport, Miami International Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Boca Raton Airport, Palm Beach International Airport and Stuart Witham Field Airport.
In addition to airport locations, Archer will use helipads at Hard Rock Stadium and Apogee Golf Club—both associated with Ross. Plans are also underway for vertiports in West Palm Beach, the Magic City Innovation District in Miami’s Little Haiti and North Bay Village.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the longest trips on this planned network are expected to last about 30 minutes.
The aircraft model chosen for this service is Archer’s Midnight. It accommodates four passengers plus a pilot and luggage. While exact pricing has not been announced yet, Melissa McCaffrey, Archer’s head of government affairs, compared fares to those of premium ride services like Uber Black. For example, a trip from Miami to West Palm Beach would typically cost around $200.
The launch date for these services depends on certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has not yet approved Archer’s air taxis for commercial operations. These eVTOLs represent the first new category considered by the FAA in nearly eight decades.
Archer is also planning similar air taxi networks in other major cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Abu Dhabi.
Other companies are also pursuing this market segment in South Florida. Israeli developer AIR began flight testing near West Palm Beach in September; however, one of its aircraft crashed during a test flight in October.
