United Airlines and Archer Reveal First Air Taxi Route in Chicago

United Airlines and Archer Aviation plan to launch an aerial ridesharing service in Chicago using Archer’s Midnight eVTOL air taxi, the companies announced on Thursday.

The commercial air taxi route, scheduled to launch in 2025, will transport passengers between O’Hare International Airport and Vertiport Chicago, the city’s only downtown heliport facility. Vertiport Chicago lies about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southeast of the airport, in Chicago’s Illinois Medical District.

According to Archer, the trip will take about 10 minutes via air taxi, whereas the same trip might take as long as an hour or more by car during rush hour traffic…

The Chicago route is the second such air taxi route that Archer and United have announced. In November they revealed a planned air taxi route between Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City.