nrusinak

Have seen a lot of positive reviews and quite a few negatives for most of the tour operators. Hubby and I staying at the El Tovar for 2 nights and want an aerial view. Don't want to spend a ton of $$ and have a bad experience. Thoughts?

spirobulldog

Pappilion would be the one!

nrusinak

So many terrible reviews for Papillion on trip advisor, generally about one a month that just rage on them for things like poor customer service, problems with credit card charges, rides just not showing up, rudeness, etc.

I'm very leery of them. Our trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I do not want to be the one customer that has a terrible experience with them this month, especially since the issues listed were completely avoidable.

Are they really the best that the Grand Canyon can offer?

spirobulldog

Had a good experience with them twice in the last five years. One was with a rafting tour and they landed in the bottom. The was near Bar 10 Ranch/Whitmore Wash Our guide said that they use Papillon because they had bad time with Maverick Company previously.

Om a third experience I bought my parents a tour with them from Vegas to GC. Their first day it was to foggy. They said that Papillon went out of their way to rebook them on the next day. They actually flew them the first day there, but due to the fog they didn't see anything and couldn't land either. They happily flew them again the next day again without charge.

All the companies get mixed reviews. Yes, it is expensive. I would be more worried about safety record than the experience.

Since you are staying two days at GC I would hesitate to make advance reservations. Pick a clear day with good weather. Also, if it is a big deal that you have a window seat or front seat, check that out in advance. Some helicopter tour companies(not sure if these will) will allow you to pay extra to insure that you have the seat you want. I like the smaller helicopters because they don't have the 4 or 5 seats in the back. If you get a middle seat in the back then it isn't that great.

You can also read reviews on Yelp and other websites. It amazes me how many people give reviews of 5 stars and then you will get a lot with 1 star.

I would book directly with whichever company you decide to go with. Don't use the middleman as things are more likely to get screwed up.

It also depends somewhat on the pilot. I prefer the ones that actually talk to you. However, with so many different languages at the GC, I would imagine that a lot of them use recordings.

nrusinak

Thanks, spirobulldog! Very helpful. I was under the impression that I had to make a reservation in advance or risk not getting to go at all. Without ever having been there, I didn't know if the tours sell out quickly and ahead of time or not. Perhaps we'll wait then and make up our minds on who to go with once we get out there and see how the whole things works. Appreciate the input greatly! N

enzian

You might try asking on the Tripadvisor Grand Canyon forum ( not the review section). There is a woman who posts there and is very knowledgeable about the helicopter options from the South Rim.

She says that Papillon runs Bell Jet copters, while its subsidiary Grand Canyon Helicopters and another company, Maverick, run newer Eco-Star copters which are better suited for sightseeing, and quieter.

There is a sticky on the right side of the forum page with the question "Should I fly above the canyon" that has a lot of the helicopter information, or you can ask your own specific question about them.

spirobulldog

I got on Pappilon's website. The Grand Kingdom tour from the south rim is on an Ecostar. The Majestic Tour is on the Ecostar as well. I would do the long Grand Kingdom Tour. You do save $20 if you book online. You might have to wait if you wait to do it when you are there. I don't think you would have a problem flying with someone though-there seemed to be plenty of Helicopters when we were there.

Maverick offers two different flights from the south rim while Pappilon offers 4. I believe that Pappilon really has only 2, but offers them in different helicopter with the Ecostar being more expensive.

Keep in mind that most of the reviews with Maverick or Pappilon on TA is from Vegas, not the South Rim.

I noticed that The Travel Channel recommend Maverick over Pappilon. I imagine they are a very similar experience and might just be the pilot you get or whether or not the staff at the desk is in a good mood or not for the day.

Frankly, now after looking at both websites, I might be more inclined to choose Maverick. I noticed that they did have one "sold out date" for Dec 4. So, at least you would know if it were sold out before you go.

If you do the cheaper version with Pappilon, there is a good chance you will be sitting backwards. So go with the Ecostar, if you decide on them. It's a good experience, but might be a little overrated for what it costs. You do get to see a lot of it that otherwise would take months to see. I would hike down into the canyon a bit, just remember it takes a lot more effort to come back up though.