Uber planned to resume helicopter flights at the Sundance Film Festival yesterday in spite of a cease-and-desist order from a Utah sheriff who said he could arrest pilots who land near Park City.
The ride-hailing company’s decision comes after a judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to ground the choppers during the star-studded opening weekend.
Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez said that he could still ticket or arrest pilots because the companies did not get the proper permits to land in a field not far from homes in the mountain town.
“I don’t want to arrest people and take them to jail, but that is an option available to me,” he said.
Uber and the helicopter companies said they tried to work with local authorities, but they argue that zoning laws do not apply to air travel and there was no permit to apply for.
The flights yesterday would be dependent on weather, but otherwise would take off as planned, Uber spokeswoman Taylor Patterson said.
“We’ve seen a ton of interest, people are really excited about it,” Patterson said.
On Thursday, Uber began offering to ferry visitors by helicopter about 65km from the Salt Lake City Airport to the festival in Park City. The company is charging US$200 one-way during the day and US$300 at night, with lower prices for customers who book ahead.
Summit County moved to block the choppers the next day, after getting complaints about the landings in a rural field beloved by sandhill cranes not far from homes, prosecutor Robert Hilder said.
“It was the people who came storming into Sundance, started flying their helicopters and landing them,” he said.
However, at a late-afternoon hearing on Friday, Judge Kara Pettit decided prosecutors did not have enough evidence for a restraining order that would have grounded the choppers.
She is to take up the case again tomorrow, although that would come after the end of Uber’s helicopter service to Park City.
“There are just too many questions and issues to be able to enter an order today that there’s been a violation,” she said.
However, the sheriff said he sees that as a civil proceeding separate from his criminal jurisdiction, and one that would not be fully decided until later this week.
The helicopter companies said they tried to work with the county, even striking a last-minute deal to land the choppers at a helipad owned by the sheriff’s office.
Martinez said he ultimately decided it was not right to let a private business use public resources.
Lawyers for the helicopter companies said the zoning rules are meant for construction and development. They pointed to other issues with the lawsuit, including the exact owner of the land the choppers are using.
“This case just can’t get out of the blocks,” attorney David Jordan said.
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