Papillon Helicopters - Grand Canyon — Attraction in Tusayan

I had an excellent expierence with Papillon! My father and I went for a Saturday morning flight in January during a brief trip to Vegas! We did the tour that flies over Hoover and the Canyon with a stop at the bottom for snacks and champagne. Flying over the Canyon and dam was an amazing expierence!

The shuttle picked us up from our hotel and we rode out to the Boulder airport, it wasn't a bad ride at all. When we got there we did check in/weigh in. The desk staff were very friendly, although we were a bit unclear about what to do after we watched the safety video. We sat in the small lobby for not too long while a few other groups left for their flights, then our names were called out and we met our Pilot before going out to the helicopter. We did ask to be on the list for the $50 upgrade to the front seats. It's important to understand that front seats aren't guaranteed. Two other people on our flight also wanted the front, but we were told that based on weight and balance my father and I would get to sit in the front, My father sat at the window while I sat in between him and the pilot. The front seat upgrade was definitely worth it in my opinion!

Our pilot Chris was great! He was a good balance of funny but still very informative. He also was great about communicating with two people on our flight who spoke more French than English. Before the flight they take photos of each small group on the flight which are then offered for sale after the flight.

On the way out to the Canyon we listened to an informative narrative about the Canyon (in both French and English I believe) while our pilot gave supplemental information about the area. The views of Hoover and the Canyon and from the helicopter are breathtaking! The first moment you begin to fly into the canyon was my favorite part of the flight. When we landed we had some time to take our pictures and look around while snacks and champagne were set out. The snacks were in individual small boxes, and were things like apple slices, cheese and crackers, a granola bar and cookies, as well as water bottles. We chatted more with our pilot while we ate, and then looked around and took a few more pictures before it was time to take off again. The time in the bottom of the canyon does feel brief, but I think that's because I would have stayed all day if I could have!

Right after we flew out of the canyon we stopped briefly at the small airport there for a refuel before continuing back to the Boulder airport. This time instead of a narration we listened to music and our pilot would give us info as we flew over interesting things, he also offered to answer any questions I had about the switches and controls of the helicopter when he noticed I was looking at all of them.

Once we got back we didn't have to wait long for the shuttle back to the airport. We did have to detour slightly, I can't remember if it was to switch drivers or if there was an issue with the iPad system they used that had to be resolved, but it didn't take too much extra time. Because we did the early flight we got back with plenty of time to spend the rest of the day on the strip.

Overall this trip was a great expierence made even more excellent by our fantastic pilot! Flying into the canyon was amazing, the sites were beautiful, and having a great pilot made the whole experience comfortable and fun! If I'm ever back in Vegas I would do the tour again...

I am very disappointed with Papillon. My father was recently diagnosed with cancer and has approximately 6-8 months left. He’s always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. I’m in the military so planning trips can be difficult. I planned a surprise trip for my Dad to the Grand Canyon and was hoping to surprise him with the helo tour. My job closely works with helicopters so I have a good understanding of how weather affects mission capabilities. Before booking I was closely watching the weather. We had 5 days we could’ve book. The first few days seemed reasonable because of Storm weather but our final day looked very promising. I watched the weather. There was nearly 0kts of wind. The most I saw was 7kts. There was 0% chance of Rain or snow. Visibility wasn’t 10/10 but NOAA’s website said 6-12 miles of visibility. I understand perfect weather makes the experience so much better, but when you go to great lengths planning this trip, some clouds won’t ruin the experience. I know Papillon can’t control the weather but today alone, our appointment got pushed back 3 times. Our drive to Papillon was an hour long and when they called me 10 minutes before our appointment to cancel on us, I lost all respect. My dad and I did drive down to the Grand Canyon and it was perfectly clear. If we couldn’t see the bottom or the North side, I’d understand the cancelling but we could see everything. Maybe papillon has strict regulations for when they can fly but all they told me was visibility wasn’t perfect. I would’ve appreciated if they shared what kind of conditions they need to fly. Because quite frankly is was pretty damn nice. A little chilly and overcast. I really wanted to give a good review. I ended up calling GCflights and asked if they were canceling flights and they said no. I tried booking with them but they needed 12 hours before appointment. If I’d known Papillon was scared of clouds I’d booked with another company. Ironically after that call, I saw a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. Very...

My overall grade for Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters is: A+

This experience is first and foremost, expensive albeit worth every penny. I acknowledge that it’s tough to spend the equivalent of a round trip airline airfare on a 1-hour experience.

Let’s start with the location. In my opinion, it’s very nicely located. You don’t have to actually enter the park, but rather an airport that is very close to the south rim.

Facilities: excellent. Easy parking. Easy check-in. Nice people. You do weigh in and based on the passenger load and your own weight (only the nice person behind the counter can see your actual weight) you receive a laminated card with a seat assignment.

Safety briefing: painless and quick. You sit in a theater room to watch a safety movie. Then, receive your flotation device to put around your waist before boarding.

Helicopters: Excellent. They seem fairly new and are in pristine condition. They can take up to 7 passengers plus the pilot.

Everyone gets noise-canceling Bose headsets with a microphone. You can hear the pilot’s instructions as well as his comments about what we are seeing.

Route: excellent. We booked the 1-hour (or maybe 50 minutes) tour. We flew for a few minutes over some flat landscapes and then, as if sitting in one of those giant 360-theaters, the earth just falls away and the epic grandeur of the Grand Canyon becomes visible. Probably the most memorable part of the ride for me. We meander over the rivers. Including a river that feeds into the Colorado river.

We spent time exploring the canyon among the buttes and even approached the north rim from “below” the rim. Next, we explored the north rim area and saw a different landscape vs the southern rim before turning back south across the canyon and back to the airport.

At no time did I feel unsafe or even uncomfortable during the flight.

An amazing bucket...