My way's not the highway

By Max Kingston

US Helicopter

So you're leaving on a jet plane, but how are you getting to the airport? Whether by air, water or underground, here are speedy alternate routes to some of the busiest hubs in the States.

Helicopters: not just for Jamie Lee Curtis

There's commuting, and then there's making a 5 o'clock flight at JFK Airport from Manhattan. A passenger stuck in a yellow cab might gaze up and see a chopper whiz by, thinking it's a news team racing to get the story. Actually, it could be part of the US Helicopter fleet, a service that gets you from Wall Street to JFK in eight minutes flat – for a comparable price to a limo ride. Even more swank? Once you reach the airport, you can bypass the queue and breeze over to your own private security-screening checkpoint.

Think you could get used to this kind of lifestyle? You don't need to be a closing a deal to hop on a chopper. Beat the traffic the next time you are headed to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Papillon, which offers heli-shuttle service from McCarran International Airport to all LVMS sporting events, including NASCAR. Or, hitch a ride to the slopes with Helijet, based out of Vancouver International Airport; it has year-round chartered helicopter rides directly to Whistler.

MBTA Harbor Express

Go by boat in Boston

Planes, trains and... high-speed ferries on Boston Harbor. Choose from a wide selection of water shuttles and taxis that will ferry you to Logan Airport. MBTA Harbor Express has 25 weekday departures, year-round. A fast and comfy catamaran picks you up from your landing of choice (there are several in Boston as well as on the South Shore) and takes you to the Logan dock for an easy connection to your terminal. The Hyatt Harborside has a dock right outside its doorstep, with on-call seasonal water taxis to whisk you to the airport.

A bridge under troubled water: BART in San Francisco

BART

Inaugurated in 1972, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission (known as BART) is an underground, and underwater, network of high-speed electric trains. For approximately $5, you can be whooshed from San Fran's downtown core directly into the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport. Going elsewhere? BART also has connections from the airport to the entire Peninsula region, San Jose and the home stadium of the Oakland Raiders. Most of BART's East Bay stations offer long-term parking, which doesn't cost a fortune and can be reserved online.

Like the idea of direct rapid transit that drops you off inside the airport terminal? RTA in Cleveland and MARTA in Atlanta are two other Zen-like commuting experiences.

(Max Kingston is a freelance writer based in Toronto and a self-proclaimed aviation geek).

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