Hello, can anyone advise re helicopter trips around the canyon. Who are the best and most reliable? Can we book before we leave England (on thursday)? Would it be better to book out there? Looked at the GC site and there are three companies recommended Airstar - Kenai - Papillon GC - any ideas?

Thanks for your time!

Airstar...enjoyed every moment of it...has a great safety record..make reservations in advance.... Papillon just had a crash(on the one fom Vegas to GC),all but one was killed...I know their Vegas operation was shut down,don`t know about the GC Airport one...but guess their safety record wasn`t the best before the crash...our pilot was a Viet Nam vet...it was like sitting in your living room...and I`m afraid of heights..that is just my opinion anyway....hope I helped

We were in the Grand Canyon in April and it snowed. The early part of the day was beautiful and we called a couple of helicopter and plane companies for info on air tours. They actually had openings for later that day. And this despite the fact that the park was pretty crowded with families because it's Spring Break week for lots of folks. By noon the clouds moved in and it was hard to see - we were so grateful we hadn't booked anything. So call around (check small planes too - in some every passenger has a window seat and planes are less expensive) and ask how far in advance they expect to fill up. If possible, I'd recommend waiting until you get out there and checking the weather forecast before booking. They won't fly if it's dangerously cloudy, but might fly with partial clouds and it would be hard to see much. Have fun!!

we went the end of March,2001...I disagree.the helicopter is the way to go..yes it costs more,but friends got deathly sick and couldn`t see or hear in the plane..if they cancel because of weather they don`t charge your card(used it to hold reservations..the weather was beautiful...morning was polar fleece and afternoon was longe sleeve top....you just call before you go and see if they`re still on for the day....call Airstar or any company you want..and ask...doesn`t cost you anything to ask..or e-mail them...they did have others flights that day...better to cancel because of weather than be disapointed becaus they were too booked...I don`t think they would fly into the canyon in clouds because they fly by visual points and they couldn`t see them with cloud cover...don`t take the shortest trip.take the middle or longest one.....ask if unsure about any detail....don`t assume anything.....we all have our own opinions.....

Thanks everyone. Hubby leaves tomorrow and I have given him your advise. They are going to Las Vegas and will probably get a trip from there so we found a good website for those and they will book out there as the weather looks good - hot - but maybe cloudy. Interesting reading everyone's opinion of the GC too, I would say it has to be a MUST SEE place as there is no way photo's can give the same feeling.