NBC Pays for Lauer's Commute to Work....By Chopper

While New Yorkers are stuck in gridlock each morning trying to make their way into the Big Apple, Matt Lauer is soaring above them.

Page Six says that NBC has agreed to foot the bill for helicopters to fly him to the Hamptons and back.

In June, Lauer extended his lucrative $20 million-a-year deal with NBC News to remain a “Today” co-host through 2016, following speculation that he would leave the show in the wake of the storm over the brutal departure of Ann Curry in 2012.

As part of the deal, NBC agreed to pay for Lauer to chopper out to the Hamptons, where he has a 40-acre horse farm in Water Mill and a nearby mansion, reportedly worth $15 million, in which he lives year-round with his wife, Annette Roque, and their children.

A source told us: “NBC News chiefs want to do everything to keep Matt happy. They believe ‘Today’ has turned a corner and he is the key to its continuing success. They agreed to pay for his helicopter flights to the Hamptons and back, so he can spend more time with his family.”

While NBC sources are whispering Lauer could be choppering to the Hamptons and back up to three times a week, other insiders insist his flights there are fewer.

Now all you talent know what to ask for in your next contract.