April 29, 2026
Taxi! But make it airborne chaos
Joby Kicks Off NYC Electric Air Taxi Demos with Historic JFK Flight
NYC’s flying taxi moment has people split between future hype, train truthers, and poop jokes
TLDR: Joby just flew an electric air taxi from JFK to Manhattan, a first for New York and a big step toward future short-hop airport rides. The community reaction is wildly split: some see a thrilling transport upgrade, while others call it a noisy rich-person shortcut that trains already beat.
New York just got a very dramatic sneak peek at the future: Joby Aviation flew its electric air taxi from JFK Airport to Manhattan in about 15 minutes, the first point-to-point trip of its kind in the city. More demo flights are coming over the next 10 days, with plans tied to airport pickups, deliveries, and eventually regular service. Joby says one- or two-hour airport commutes could one day shrink to just minutes — and yes, that is exactly the kind of promise that sends the internet into full gladiator mode.
The comment section instantly split into camps. On one side: aviation optimists cheering that electric flight is finally becoming real, arguing that critics obsess too much over battery limits and not enough over the benefits of electric motors. On the other: train defenders and class-warrior skeptics who see this as a shiny toy for rich people, not a serious fix for city transport. One especially blunt critic basically said, why build a sky limo for a handful of wealthy travelers when trains can move thousands without turning the skyline into a buzzing VIP lane?
And because this is the internet, the serious debate was quickly hijacked by comedy. The runaway joke came from a commenter noting that in Scotland, “jobby” is slang for poop — meaning New York could soon be full of “wee jobbies” flying overhead. Add fears about noise pollution, side-eye about safety after recent airspace scares, and the usual battery-tech skepticism, and suddenly this wasn’t just a demo flight. It was a full-blown culture war with propellers.
Key Points
- •Joby Aviation flew a production prototype eVTOL from JFK to Manhattan, marking the first electric air taxi departure from a major New York City airport and the first point-to-point eVTOL flight in the city.
- •Joby plans additional demonstrations over 10 days between JFK and multiple Manhattan heliports that are being electrified for future air taxi operations.
- •The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hosted the flight and is also planning demonstrations with Archer Aviation as part of broader regional eVTOL testing.
- •PANYNJ is leading an FAA-selected eVTOL Integration Pilot Program project that will involve real-world operations with precertified aircraft across 26 states.
- •The article describes Joby’s aircraft as a six-propeller eVTOL using fly-by-wire controls, designed to continue flying with up to two motors out.