New York City Grand Island Helicopter Tour

The staff was kind and playful which made my family very at ease. This set the tone for our wonderful flight that was both safe and enjoyable! Great job by all involved!!!

It’s was nice seeing the city but it was from a far we did not get very close to any of the sites we traveled up and down the river

The process, the safety, and the flight were great. There were several main things that made the experience disappointing. The pilot was unable to speak because of air traffic so there was almost no explanation of anything, the views were amazing but having no guide talking made it less enjoyable. Also, One side of the cabin fits three people so the person squished in the middle doesn’t have as good of a view or experience as those sitting by a window. And there is a panel separating windows that blocks the view. There was no introduction or talking with the pilot at all, just felt that was lacking in the whole experience.

I am very afraid of heights and thought it would be scary. But our pilot Ed made our flight very soft, insanely beautiful flight. Now I want to come back again😅 Thank you guys!

The heliport was easy to find and modern. Everything was well organized and extremely safe. Every precaution was taken to ensure our safety - helicopter was clean and modern. Staff was very professional on every level. Great experience - well worth the money. The views are breathtaking. Simply amazing. We did it to celebrate a birthday. Made it unforgettable.

I didn´t wait long, a perfect organisation, very friendly staff, safty instructions exelent, They help you however they can. A trip I woul´d never forget. Very special thank to Santiago the right man at the right position. The whole team was courteous and helpfull and also very professional. Thanx the the complete team Michael (Germany)

We actually went on this with my older daughter in Sept 2018.as part of her birthday. Andrew Woods was the pilot. He made the trip very enjoyable, he even took some pictures afterwards. A terrific pilot with a great sense of humour. Would recommend this company.

From the moment we arrived attendants and staff were very courteous and helpful. The pilot was friendly and the flight was amazing. Highly recommend taking the flight.

Fantastic experience! Very organised, haven’t rated 5 as there was an issue with the audio in the helicopter and our mikes did’t work. Slightly miffed to be asked to pay $2 non-refundable for lockers to put our belongings in and then to be sold photos at the end given the price paid.

What a fabulous experience - seeing the city from the air. Not a cheap excursion, but having been to NY before and visited all the famous landmarks on foot, it was my friends' birthday we decided to treat ourselves. We were fortunate to have clear weather and the views were amazing

Lovely, exciting and breathtaking. We flew the grand tour. All the people that works with Zip aviation were very nice and professional. We had a great time with Andrew the irish pilot. He was fun and really knew what he was doing. It felt really safe flying around and i would love to do this again.

What an amazing morning...professional staff to greet you and explain everything. And Andrew was the best pilot...it was my birthday/wedding anniversary so I got to sit beside him. Great banter and views to die for. Thank you Andrew for a trip to remember

Booked the Grand Island heliflight back home and rescheduled when in NY due to weatherconditions. Everything worked just smooth and the flight in perfect weather was a bucket-list thing to do. My wife who is really afraid of flying came over it since the pilot was really gentle with the shifts and she really enjoyed it in the end. Strongly recommend it to everyone who can afford it! Anders Danemo and wife

Wow! Everything we had hoped for and more! We opted for the Grand Island flight and it was worth every penny. The pilot went out of his way to show us the sights and added his own little commentary which was informative and amusing. You must do this if you are going to New York!

I bought the 30 min "grand tour" and loved every second of it. The pilot (Andrew Woods) was Irish and really helped us feel relaxed and get ready with our cameras when we hovered for the best pics of the big landmarks. The guys on the ground also really gave me the VIP treatment and the group handler Santiago made sure we were safe and well prepped and in good spirits before take off. The route takes off from a pier 6 (which is beside the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and close to Brooklyn Bridge) and swoops around the south tip of Manhatten and up its west coast before turning to come back which means you get a great view no matter which side of the chopper you sit on. Andrew clearly loves his job and the company seem to be have a family atmosphere in the office. Would defo do it again!

My first flight in a helicopter and part of my birthday present. Andrew Woods, pilot, made the experience so special (including playing ‘Happy Birthday’ for me). I was lucky to be in the front seat, so had the very best views as we soared the skies around the New York skyline. My husband had a rear window seat and also had great views. Andrew’s humour and obvious love of his job were evident. A highly recommended 30minutes flight.

What an amazing experience with Zip Aviation! We flew all around New York City and got to see things we'd never before seen. Its such an amazing experience seeing the city from that view! I've lived in NYC 12 yrs and I so recommend it for any and all!

In general the flight was OK. We did not fligh over the stadium as indicated. Overall the rating was given with 1 as at the station we had to pay additional USD 40 per person (tax). This was mentioned in the confirmation document, but was not clear at booking. In todays transparent world this is a NO-GO. Even if the tax is not earned by the company, this is part of the overall payment of the customer. Bad service.

If your budget can stretch - this is a must. This was a special treat for my son's 21st and my 50th birthday and what a treat it was. The views you get are absolutely amazing but just as important for us was the pilot, Andrew from Zip Aviation - he helped make the experience. Simple things like telling us where to place the camera in readiness for the best pictures and getting maximum effect - including sitting forward and telling me to get the camera behind his head. He spoke to us for most of the flight, he was professional but fun at the same time. Hovering in front of the statue of liberty, flying close by the bridges and seeing the Empire State from this bird's eye view was absolutely fantastic. If you read this review Andrew, thank you very much and yes that smile is still on my face! Tax Collector, England

We took this trip as a family outing to celebrate our grandson's 13th birthday. The team at Zip Aviation were fabulous from start to finish. The tour was amazing - 30 minutes of seeing NYC from the air - our pilot Adam was really terrific - lovely guy. Beautiful helicopter and a really special treat. Professional, safety minded, fun and very caring. Highly recommended.

Well what can I say! Simply awesome! Booked this for my girlfriends 21st birthday present and she loved it. The views are amazing. All the staff from the ground crew, check in staff to the pilot were really good. Definitely recommend!

<p>This was a fun little trip, We were a group of 5 so we had the helicopter to ourselves.<br/> The pilot was very clear in telling us what landmarks to look at etc.<br/> It was a very very smooth ride, highly recommend this tour</p>

<p>Trip was very rushed, they seemed in a hurry to get you on helicopter and get you off to get the next people on. You are not allowed to take bags on board and they make you put in a locker then charge you 2 dollars for the privilege. The sights were good. The pilot did not have much personally, and never really spoke much. The trip would have been better at night with all the lights. Good trip but not great.</p>

<p>Great flight around NYC! Professional company looking after your safety whilst friendly informative tour seeing sights from up above. Thankfully it was a good clear day when we took our first helicopter flight. Lovely smooth ride. Make sure you read the small print and take required paperwork. Enjoy!</p>

<p>A helicopter tour is a great way to see a number of attractions quickly, but I do not think it is an activity that we will do again. There was nothing done in error by the staff, but I think expectations were much higher than reality. Some notes/advice for future guests</p> <p>- The customer service team is very friendly and accommodating due to rainy weather on our tour date, they quickly rescheduled our tour to the following day.<br/> - The front desk staff are very friendly, and get you suited up quickly and ready to go. Please do your best to arrive early as requested so as to not hold up the entire group. Also know that you cannot take backpacks or purses with you on the helicopter lockers are available to rent at the Helipad so bring some dollar bills.<br/> - To balance the helicopter, my son age 7 had to sit in a middle seat. He told me after the flight that he could barely see out of the windows, so while it was exciting to ride in a helicopter, he saw none of the attractions besides the Statue of Liberty. For him to see the sites was my main reason for booking this activity, so unfortunately this missed the mark.<br/> - I'm not sure that they minded, but a couple in our group got split up he was in the back, she was seated in front. If you want to sit with each other, you may want to request this prior to booking. Also note that you will be grouped with strangers, unless you book the entire flight of six yourself.<br/> - We booked the Grand Island Tour, which while a longer ride, does not include many additional attractions. We got an extended flight over water while listening to background music. I think the mid-tier option may be the best bang for your buck.<br/> - When boarding we were told that we would be able to speak to each other, but the headphones and microphones did not seem to work during our trip.<br/> - I'm not sure if it's normal, but our pilot did not speak to us at all during the tour the only information was provided by the pre-recorded messaging as we passe each attraction. This led to a lot of dead air see note above about the background music. It would have been nice to get some local information or additional commentary during this time.</p> <p>So overall, there was nothing done wrong, as noted there were just some areas of expectation that fell a little short.</p>

<p>Was very disappointed and upset with this booking, it was expensive and was only in the helicopter for maximum 15 mins. This was unacceptable and feel very let down by the trip.</p>

<p>Everyone should take this tour! Just when I thought I had seen it all -- after living here for 15 years -- seeing NYC by helicopter was a delightful surprise. The ride was smooth and professional. A little cramped, but you soon forget that once you're treated to the views. Highly recommend!</p>

<p>We were blessed with a great day of weather, flanked on either side with some pretty awful stuff rain and lots of cloud the day before and 9 inches of snow!! the day after. The trip took us out over the Statue of Liberty, Staten Island, over to Coney Island and then back up the Hudson to the George Washington Bridge and finally back to take off spot right by the Brooklyn Bridge. I was fortunate enough to sit up front with Dave, our pilot, who gave me a lot of detail during the 25 minute flight.<br/> The only element preventing me from giving this trip a five star rating was the customer service at time of booking confirmation. I booked a month beforehand and requested a 1pm-3pm slot, and was told that the exact time would be confirmed at a later date. When I called the booking confirmation number once in New York, the customer service lady told me, in a very matter of fact way, that my allocated slot was 3.30pm. I had already booked an early dinner, so found myself having to rush after this exciting trip. Not the end of the world but some kind of apology might have been nice</p>

<p>We paid extra as this tour was advertised as including a birds eye view over Central Park as well as the Yankee Stadium. When we boarded the flight, we were told that we could not fly over Manhattan or the East River at all, and, that the Yankee Stadium was temporarily a no fly zone. This was very disappointing especially being taken to see Coney Island instead of the Yankee Stadium. Additionally, the tour did not appear to last the full 25 minutes. I believe this may be due to earlier delays as a result of the presidential embargo and Zip Aviation trying to make up lost time. That being said, it is worth taking a helicopter flight of New York at least once although we would not have paid extra had we known that the views would be so limited.</p>

<p>Overall the tour was nice. However, the guy or should I call him dude who made the sitting arrangements and went over safety instructions seemed to really hate his job and us. Also, the narration over the headphones was almost impossible to hear but I didn't care too much about it. I took the tour for the photos and the views and they both were well worth it.</p>

<p>This tour was worth every penny. The Grand tour, being a longer tour was well worth it. The views were spectacular. The tour, from start to finish, was well organized. Staff were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend it and would do it again on my next trip.</p>

<p>Everything, from start to finish, was fantastic. Cannot recommend this highly enough. Thank you everybody at Zip Aviation for the experience.</p>

<p>I didn't like the fact that they make you put your phone in a locker, so you can't take pictures for something you paid for so they can over charge for the pictures they took.</p>

<p>The staff were friendly and the flight experience was amazing. It was well worth the money. Showing New York's major attractions and more. Defiantly recommend.</p>

<p>It was a stunning experience but the pilot turned off the info so we didn't know what we were looking at. There were some places including bridges that weren't sure which was which and the pilot only said about Statue of Liberty and nothing much else. A bit disappointed as when the recording of the locations was on the pilot skipped through it so we were left clueless but with incredible views.</p>

<p>A fabulous experience would thoroughly recommend, well worth the money seeing Central Park and the vastness of it was great and the skyline. Really finished off a great trip to New York, cant wait to return</p>

<p>Very professional and friendly staff. The experience was as promised and we thoroughly enjoyed the ride.</p> <p>We will book again for sure. However the 18 minute Manhattan Scenic Helicopter Tour would have been enough. I question if the additional 7 minutes for the Grand Tour are worth the relatively large price increase. There is just not so much to see past lower downtown area. We had a midday flight, this might be a different story during an evening sundowner..... </p> <p>But don't misunderstand.....If its a once in a lifetime opportunity, take it. You won't be disappointed!</p>

<p>Fantastic and Highly commended.<br/> All staff are great and well composed which create a safe environment.</p> <p>I had a great time specially with our very accommodating Pilot. We had an excellent photo shot but sad to say i dont get his email add or fb account in order to share. I will deffinately recommend this to all my friends here in Qatar....George Glenn Dayada</p>

<p>Fabulous! Buying through Aviator online is the way to go. We got there and were on the helicopter in about 20 minutes. People who purchased their tickets there had to wait in line. Ginger Fountain</p>

<p>Fun. Well organised. Some people may have to fly facing backwards or seated in the middle not next to a window. Someone may sit next to the pilot though.</p>

<p>THe trip was great from start to finish with a clear day providing us with excellent views of the city and beyond. The pilot ensured that we had as smooth a ride as possible and the time just seemed to pass so quickly. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is visiting the city and wants a proper view of Manhattan and the suroounding districts!!</p>

<p>This Helicopter trip is amazing and exciting. However, it is quite expensive compared with the time and the areas covered. Having the customer calling to confirm is unnecessary procedure after having the reservation confirmed.</p>

<p>What an experience, such worth every pound spent. X</p>

<p>Wonderful experience, would definitely recommend this to anyone going to New York.</p>

<p>really enjoyed it, would recommend it. the recorded commentary did not match where we we some of the time.</p>

<p>Absolutely fantastic experience. Views over Manhattan and beyond were amazing. An experience to remember forever!</p>

<p>It was wonderful and the highlight of our New York visit.</p>

<p>Very good tour and tour guide, however still don't really understand why our time was changed to a earlier flight a day before. Apart from that I would recommend</p>

<p>It was a surprise for wife and two daughters and a surprise it was!! Great NY weather and Manhattan Tours played there part. Arrived 20 mins earlier than book in time, not a problem as they found an earlier slot. All the team very professional. The ride itself was the best way to see NY that you could want, knowledgable and very witty Captain which allowed us to enjoy the sights. These sort of trips are well worth it for the memories alone of a truly sensational skyline.</p>