World Balloon — Local services in Albuquerque

World Balloon is F A N T A S T I C !!! We decided to visit Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta rather short notice. Only a few months before the Fiesta event in October. So when we tried to book a balloon ride at the grounds, we learned we were too late and everything was booked up.

I called World Balloon to inquire about off-site rides and Leslie called me right back within minutes even though it was late evening on a weekend. She was so helpful in telling us how they operate that I booked our flight right then.  She mentioned we'd get an email with links to sign our waivers. We did that as soon as we received those messages.  It was very easy to do our waivers online.  Everything about the email communications, website, waiver forms was absolutely top notch and professional. The great thing is they don't charge your credit card until your flight is complete.  So, if there's a weather cancellation you don't owe anything.

Leslie put us right at ease with the entire booking process! But there's more! Leslie also spent extra time with us on the phone to tell us about several things to do, places to go, and great restaurants in the Albuquerque area.  She highly recommended Sadie's and OMG is she right!  They had the best traditional NM style Mexican food and the service there was the best of all the places we tried on our trip.

On Flight day, there were several balloons going up (I think 5 or 6)  The check-in process was great! We received a wristband at check-in and it matched the color of a large flag on our balloon chase van, so we knew where to go. Before you knew it balloons were being inflated, heating up and then .... away one would go!  Magical! Our flight, was on the "second hop" so we boarded our chase bus once our balloon launched. The chase crew made it fun while following our balloon. Our "first hop" folks had booked a short flight so we followed them to a landing site and traded places with them. We climbed into the basket and Ed, our Pilot, gave us a quick safety briefing. Then a few puffs of flame and we were in the air! Leaving the earth without feeling a thing!Quite, serene, peaceful, magical, exciting all come to mind!  Captain Ed told us a little about how the balloon flies and is controlled. We had several elevation changes that put us in different windstreams.  I found it very interesting to see (and feel) how the wind affects the balloon at different elevations. Similar to sailing a boat.  You don't feel wind, until you are moving in or out of the different wind streams/directions.

Our flight was a solid hour in the air! Maybe a bit longer.  You don't want to come down!  But soon our chase crew had found us and a perfect place to land was spotted!  Landing also brings a bit of excitement.  You'll have to experience that for yourself!

Ed the Pilot and the entire crew and folks from World Balloon are Professional, Skilled, Fun and truly the BEST!

Our experience was absolutely amazing! This...

I normally wouldn't write a review for an experience I never got to have, but the way World Balloon handled the weather related cancellation was a lesson for all businesses. I came to Albuquerque mainly to knock a bucket list open off my list with my siblings - a hot air balloon ride. Due to high winds, our ride on Saturday was cancelled at another company. We scrambled and called every company in ABQ to see if they had any availability on Sunday. We were met with busy times, voice messages that were never answered, etc. World Balloon actually called me back within the hour. They actually had availability for us and immediately helped us book sand full out waivers, etc. They next morning, we arrived to the launch site, but ABQ actually got rain (if you can can it that). The World Balloon yeah didn't just say "hey, there are rain clouds, we are cancelling all rides, see ya" like the other companies. They explained the true reason was more than the rain, but the thermal pressure which would impact safety. The World Balloon team quickly realized that we were having difficulty finding an Uber driver to pick us up. Murray, one of their pilots, offered to drop us off at our hotel which was on the other side of towm. This was much more than we expected. Murray was a great conversationalist and have us a great education on hot air balloons. He has piloted over 2,000 rides in his career. He wouldn't not even accept any gratuity for his efforts. We are blown away by World Balloon's service, esp in the wake of employee shortages and lack of kindness in the world. World Balloon even called us later in rthe day to see if they can help us book another time, unfortunately we were only in town for the weekend. When we return, you better believe we will be using World Balloon and have Murray be our pilot. Thank you! Highly...

These guys are the best! Their pricing is very reasonable compared to another bigger company that has apparently been buying smaller ones out in the area. Also, their customer service is par to none. They are truly the best. A truly enjoyable experience.

We dealt with the sweetest lady Leslie while booking, greeted by smiling Julie on the day of our flight, and were piloted by knowledgeable Scott. They were all wonderful people, corteous, polite, and very welcoming.

They have been in business for more than 30 years, and they truly know their stuff. They are locally grounded, and not a corporate monster company with one-size fits-all mentality. They truly cater to the whole experience.

They are professional, well-trained, accredited, and always safety first. I believe they are a family owned business, so they put their hearts and souls into their craft. It was such a pleasure to have picked their company.

The flight was perfect without a hitch. In our case, we ended up in the air for almost 2 hours, which is double what the average flight normally is. This was due to wind currents picking up and taking us away from a safe landing at first. But there were no issues or turbulence, it was smooth and enjoyable the whole time. Scott just made sure we landed at a safe location whenever we did. It was a joy ride to be up there longer and interact with him and learn some stories about hot air ballooning.

At the end, they provided mimosas, pastries, and a brief historical account about Hot Air Balloons while they handed out our certificates of flight.

I can't thank them enough for making this a memorable first-time experience for my daughter and I.

Recommended and I will plan on returning again.

If you read this, don't think twice, they are definitely...