If you follow America’s air taxi startups, you probably read more takeoff announcements than actual takeoffs. The US eVTOL sector, led by Archer Aviation $ACHR ( ▲ 4.92% ) , Joby Aviation $JOBY ( ▲ 3.47% ) , and Beta Technologies $BETA ( ▲ 1.76% ) , has become a nonstop press release machine as each company races to convince investors that commercial air taxis are just around the corner.
A new “tongue in cheek” analysis from SMG Consulting finally puts numbers behind that PR frenzy. The firm compared total press releases to total flight hours through December and found eye-opening ratios. Beta leads with about 63.5 hours flown for every press release, while Archer is issuing updates so frequently that it averages one release for every 18 minutes in the air.
Because Beta also operates a runway-based aircraft, SMG adjusted the comparison to look strictly at eVTOL flight hours. That is where things tighten. Joby comes out ahead at one press release per 3.2 eVTOL flight hours, Beta follows at 36 minutes, and Archer still holds the crown for fastest PR cadence at roughly one announcement per 18 minutes flown.
The takeaway is not that these companies are not flying. It is that they are communicating at hyperspeed to stay top of mind in a capital-intensive industry where perception matters almost as much as progress.