Grand Canyon 123 |
Keith Speaks |
Las Vegas Helicopters - How Much Airtime Over the Grand Canyon?
First we got him set up with the Champagne Package. I figured it was fitting for the occassion. But I also took it a step further and recommended that Joe upgrade it to depart from the Las Vegas Strip. Doing this gets him the free limousine pick up/drop off!
Here are details about Joe's tour.
Anyhow, one we got Joe settled, he asked me a great question that I've been meaning to address for months. It has to do with airtime. Here's Joe's question: "Keith, can you give me an idea just how long we're up in the air in addition to the time we are at the bottom of the Canyon?"
Adding It Up
So I broke out the trusty calculator, ran the numbers and came up with this: Regarding the Champagne flight, Joe's going to spend 45 minutes in the air from Vegas to the bottom of the West Rim. Then he's going to make a 10-12 minute ascent back to the top before doing another 45 minutes back to Las Vegas. Total airtime: 102 minutes (1.7 hours).
Go ahead and verify those numbers but I'm sure they add up. Plus they are in addition to the 30+ minutes that Joe will get at the bottom enjoying his Champagne Picnic as well as optional stroll along the banks of the mighty Colorado River. But if air time plus bottom time comes out to 132 minutes or 2.2 hours, then why does total tour time take 4 hours as listed in the trip description?
Excellent question!
And here's the answer:The remainder is spent on logistics. Or, to be more exact, picking Joe up and dropping him off at his hotel, which in this case happened to be The Bellagio. I know it looks odd to dedicate 2 hours to transportation but it's not that simple. In all cases, shuttle pickups are for multiple guests, so there's time spent collecting travelers from various Las Vegas hotel-resorts and dropping them off.
Extra Minutes
And as any traveler knows, time is a "phantom" number. Meaning when we put helicopter tour packages together, we pad the itinerary with extra minutes in order to accommodate unexpected delays, weather conditions, extra time in the air or at the bottom and more. It's something that's done industry wide so travelers don't plan other activities too close together (this is especially true for 1-day rafting tours!).
I hope that's clear. If not, email or join me in live chat. Now let's extrapolate a bit more when it comes to air time because Joe's story pretty much forms the basis for other flights. Take for example the basic aerial tour. That's all air time and so you can expect to be airborne for approximately 110 minutes or 1.8 hours. If you are doing the Skywalk helicopter, you're going to skip a lot of the Canyon flyover because you're going to land at Grand Canyon West Airport and so you're looking at a minimum of 90 minutes airtime.
There's one other tour I want to bring up. It's the Las Vegas-South Rim airplane flight (Note: Las Vegas helicopters DO NOT fly direct to the South Rim). Flight time to the SR is 60 minutes one way, which is phenomenal when you think it takes a rental car/or bus 5.5 hours or more to get there! Further, I always advise that travelers add on the 30-minute helicopter tour in addition to the in-Park ground tour. So, when it's all said and done, this package gives you a total of 150 minutes of airtime! That's the most in the business!
Conclusion
Well, folks, I hope this clarifies how much time you can expect to spend in the air while taking a Las Vegas helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon. If you need more information or specifics, email or come into live chat and I'll provide you with particulars. Just remember that all times and trip itineraries are estimates and not fixed in stone. Oh, and I forgot to add: All helicopter tours go over Hoover Dam and the Bypass so no need to sweat if any of the tours that I recommend include the Dam because they all do.
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Travel on!
