To beat the traffic in Manila, just hail a helicopter

This picture taken in Jakarta on March 29, 2018, shows a Helicity helicopter flying in Jakarta. After receiving an order from a smartphone app, the helicopter taxi soars into the sky above Jakarta, zipping over monster traffic jams, ramshackle red-roofed houses and skyscrapers -- one of the Uber-style chopper-hailing services taking off to help commuters race through increasingly congested megacities. / AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY / TO GO WITH AFP STORY: Indonesia-Singapore-traffic-aviation, FEATURE by Harry Pearl with Elizabeth Law

A new startup may have the answer for cashed-up travellers desperate to beat the gridlock in the mega cities of South-East Asia: helicopter ride-sharing.

Ascent Flights Global Pte is starting the service in the Philippines next week and plans to expand to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia by next year.