Who wants to sit in traffic on the Long Island Expressway during precious summer weekends when the beaches of the Hamptons are calling your name? With these luxe travel options out east, you may enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
Photo Credit: Michael SimonBlade launched last summer with helicopter service and for 2015, they’re bigger and better. With an expanded fleet now including seaplane service and new destinations, from Quogue to Montauk and now even Nantucket, the app makes travel out east a breeze. If you can’t find a time or route that works for you, charter your own with the push of a button. Blade babes wearing sleek white uniforms by designer Tamara Mellon (available for purchase) are on hand to greet you with sippy cups of rose in sleek lounges before liftoff from Manhattan. Getting to the Hamptons typically takes about 35 minutes, but with views of the skylines this spectacular, you you’ll wish you were up in the air longer. From $575 one way
Love staying at Andre Balazs’ Standard Hotels in NYC or Sunset Beach? Now you can take a Standard seaplane out east too, which takes 45 minutes. StndAIR features flights to and from East Hampton and Shelter Island in a bright red Cessna 208 on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays, but they’re old-school. You have to pick up the phone and actually call someone to make a reservation. $550 one way 
Photo Credit: StndAIRNewcomer GothamAir is another heli app that started this summer, and while there’s Rolls Royce engines on their choppers and Bose speakers on board, you’ll have to bring your own champagne. $575 one way
Photo Credit: InstagramPrefer a private jet to a heli or seaplane? JetGet may be your new go to. Leaving from Teterboro airport, they’ll take you to West Hampton, East Hampton or Montauk in under 30 minutes and serve you complimentary bubbly. If you’re a frequent flyer, you may want to consider a membership, which allows unlimited flights for $3,000 a month. $499 one way
Photo Credit: InstagramIf yachting is your thing, Barton and Grey Mariners’ Club could be worth considering. Members, plus up to 5 of their lucky invited guests, board fully crewed, 48’ Hinckley yachts to chauffeur them out to the Hamptons. Boats depart from Chelsea Piers and drop you off in Sag Harbor or your port of choice. The trip out east takes approximately 3.5 hours, and members also get access to the fleet in 14 different locations from Nantucket to Naples. Initiation costs $10,000, starting at $2,750 one way.
