Zip Aviation — Local services in New York

Probably one of the worst experiences anyone has had on a helicopter tour.

Firstly when we arrived, we could not get in touch with the pilot via the phone number and extension provided or by even banging on the blue door you can verify through security cameras I was there around 8:50PM. Turns out the pilot was next door at another hanger hanging out with other people who they eventually had to tell him we were outside as I stood in the cold trying to figure out what the heck to do.

For reference on how lazy the pilot was, he never asked to see our ID’s before or after the flight, I’m sure there are cameras to verify this as well. The flight then took off around 9:15pm and landed shortly after 9:30pm - way too soon (we were meant to depart at 9:30pm.. During the flight time we sat in silence for the entirety of the flight because the pilot never checked that the headsets work and barely even tried to speak with us. We couldn’t speak to one another, to the pilot, nor did we hear a single part of the alleged tour recording that was part of the service.

We barely saw half of the things that were listed as sights to see on this tour as the pilot rushed through everything just to get back and finish off the night. It felt completely uncomfortable even after I paid extra for an already premium priced service that wasn’t provided.

Not sure if others had great experiences with other pilots or just good reviews on here were fakes but I was beyond underwhelmed with the experience, the service, and Zip Aviation… I’d give them 0 stars if not for the staff that helped organize and coordinate everything- they were exceptional, professional, and...

AVOID AT ALL COSTS! A TOURIST TRAP!

Our experience with Zip Aviation was absolutely terrible. We booked our helicopter tour online, but as soon as we arrived, it was clear their main goal was to extort more money from us.

First, they offered us the option to pay extra to sit “next to the door” and, supposedly, avoid the $40 tax per person. We refused. Then they came up with an excuse, claiming we exceeded the weight limit by 5 kg and would need to pay for an additional seat. When we refused again, they told us to wait for the other passengers on our flight to see if the total weight would work out. No one showed up.

Despite that, they forced us to pay an extra $280, threatening that we’d lose our reservation and miss the flight entirely. We had no choice but to pay for a “seat” that didn’t even exist—the helicopter had only 4 seats, and we were two couples.

The staff was dishonest, rude, and completely unscrupulous. To make matters worse, the hygiene was disgusting: we saw an employee blowing his nose into the sink in the restroom without even rinsing it afterward.

An absolutely shameful and appalling experience. Avoid this company at all costs—they are nothing...

So I visited New York the first week of May in 2018 for my mom's birthday. I had a complete interinary, every hour was scheduled for us to do something. CLOSELY READ I scheduled the helicopter ride for Wednesday May 10th @ 2:00pm on Groupon, so we were heading to liberty tours to go see the statue of liberty on Tusday @ 10am when Zip aviation called me and said that my ride was scheduled in 15 minutes on Tuesday??? I even sent them a screen shot but the receptionist told us that the of $1,300 ride was going to be cancel so we hurried to the heliport, also I chose the longest ride with was supposed to be 30mints and they shortened by 5 minutes which is a big difference when you are paying about $50 dollars per minute. Long story short they messed up my schedule for Tuesday and we didn't get to see the statue of liberty :(. IF YOU SCHEDULE WITH GROUPON CALL ZIP AVIATION TO MAKE SURE YOUR RIDE IS AT THE EXACT TIME AND DAY AS YOU...