Grand Canyon Airplane Tour or Helicopter Tour: Which to Book?

Side by side

The comparison sets a plane against a helicopter over the same canyon, from the operators' own pages and the listings on this site.

One thing to know first: the West Rim helicopter flight goes 3,500 feet down to the canyon bottom, according to Grand Canyon West. No plane lands in the canyon, so if standing at the bottom matters, only a helicopter gets you there.

The flight itself

Grand Canyon Airlines flies a loop of about 40 to 45 minutes from Grand Canyon National Park Airport over Zuni Point Pass, the Painted Desert, the North Rim and the Kaibab Plateau, and lists possible sightings of California condors, elk and bears. Papillon flies a similar South Rim loop in a De Havilland Twin Otter Vistaliner for up to 17 guests or a Cessna Caravan for up to 9.

From Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon Airlines Plane, Helicopter and Boat Tour at $624 uses the plane for the long leg: 35 minutes each way between Boulder City and Grand Canyon West, with views of Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River. At Grand Canyon West you switch to a helicopter for the drop to the canyon floor, then a 20-minute pontoon boat ride and the shuttle to Eagle Point and Guano Point.

What you get for the higher price

Wait for the helicopter section for that. First, the limits of the airplane: it flies higher, it does not land, and seating is not chosen by you. Papillon assigns seats by weight-and-balance, an aviation requirement, not by booking order. Grand Canyon Airlines charges a $15 window seat request payable after check-in, and only if the aircraft can accommodate it. Grand Canyon Airlines also weighs all passengers at check-in, and passengers weighing 300 lbs or more pay for an additional comfort seat.

The flip side is space and calm. A bigger cabin means easier boarding for children and grandparents, and infants 0 to 23 months fly free on a parent's lap with Papillon. There is no age restriction for airplane or helicopter tours with Papillon, so a baby can come along.

Close views and landings

Helicopters fly lower and closer than planes, and at the West Rim they go 3,500 feet down to the canyon bottom.

At the South Rim the helicopter flights start at $269. The Papillon 30-Minute South Rim Helicopter Flight costs $269 per person with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The Maverick 45-Minute South Rim Helicopter Tour costs $339 per person, rated 4.9 from 1,984 reviews. Both leave from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, the same strip the airplanes use, so the choice is about the aircraft, not the drive.

One honest note: Papillon's South Rim helicopter tours are air-only. Landings happen at the West Rim, where Grand Canyon West sits on the sovereign lands of the Hualapai Tribe. If a floor landing is the whole point, look at the Las Vegas West Rim landing tours instead.

What the higher price covers

A helicopter carries far fewer people than a 17-seat Twin Otter, which is most of the price gap. You also get flexibility that airplanes cannot match from Las Vegas: the Papillon Grand Canyon Landing Tour from Las Vegas at $529 per person includes Strip hotel pickup or a Boulder City start, 4.5 hours door to door, and lands at the bottom.

Practical differences to weigh. Maverick requires Las Vegas to Grand Canyon guests to check in no later than 45 minutes before departure, and its weight limit is 300 pounds per person on Las Vegas and Grand Canyon West flights and 275 pounds on Grand Canyon National Park flights. On the 5 Star Helicopter and Western Ranch Landing Tour, passengers over 250 lbs must buy an extra seat payable on the day. Weight limits are stricter than on the big airplanes, so check them before you book.

Match the tour to the trip

Budget traveller already at Grand Canyon West: the Fly Below the Rim Helicopter Tour at Grand Canyon West at $229, 20 minutes in the air.

Family with small children: Papillon lets infants 0 to 23 months fly free on a parent's lap and sets no age restriction. On 5 Star, a lap child means buying all six seats, so pick another operator.

Traveller uneasy in a helicopter: a plane's bigger cabin feels steadier. The Grand Canyon Airlines Plane, Helicopter and Boat Tour keeps the helicopter part to a short drop to the river.

Visitor who wants the closest view at the South Rim: the Maverick 45-Minute South Rim Helicopter Tour at $339 or the Papillon 30-Minute South Rim Helicopter Flight at $269.

Las Vegas visitor who wants to stand at the bottom: the Papillon Grand Canyon Landing Tour from Las Vegas at $529 adds hotel pickup and 4.5 hours end to end.

Plane, helicopter and river in one day: the Grand Canyon Airlines Plane, Helicopter and Boat Tour at $624, 7 hours with Strip hotel pickup.

Departure points for both aircraft

Papillon puts its South Rim terminal at Grand Canyon Airport, 3555 Airport Rd, Grand Canyon Village, at the entrance to the National Park, and Papillon tours depart from air terminals in Las Vegas, Boulder City, Grand Canyon West and Page.

By car, Papillon puts the West Rim about 2 hours from Las Vegas and the South Rim 239 miles, about a 4-hour drive, from Las Vegas. The National Park Service notes the South Entrance is 6 miles north of the town of Tusayan, the drive from Flagstaff to the South Entrance is about 90 minutes, from Williams on Interstate 40 about 60 minutes, and from Phoenix about four hours. There is an airport in Tusayan, per the NPS, which is where both the airplane and helicopter tours depart.

Two timing notes for Las Vegas travellers. Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, per Grand Canyon West, and Las Vegas runs on Pacific Time, so the two are usually the same clock for most of the year. If you drive to the park instead of flying, budget the entrance fee: the National Park Service charges $35 for a private vehicle, and each non-US resident aged 16 and older pays a $100 nonresident fee on top of the standard entrance fee, waived only with an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass. The park accepts only credit or debit cards for entrance fees.

Corridors, altitudes and what to bring

The Grand Canyon National Park Special Flight Rules Area covers the airspace from the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL, and federal rules set four flight-free zones: Desert View, Bright Angel, Toroweap/Shinumo and Sanup. Commercial air tours must fly at set minimum altitudes by sector, for example at least 7,500 feet MSL in the Zuni Point and Dragon corridors and at or above 6,000 feet MSL in the Marble Canyon sector. A 2000 rule capped air-tour flights at the number flown in a base year. The National Park Service also aims to substantially restore natural quiet, as the 1987 Overflights Act requires. In short: your tour follows fixed routes, which is why the views are consistent.

Practical prep from the operators. Grand Canyon Airlines asks passengers to bring government-issued ID, arrive 30 minutes before for check-in, and bans selfie sticks in and around the aircraft. Papillon asks guests to reach the Grand Canyon National Park airport 45 minutes before the flight on its tour pages. Layered clothing is recommended March to September and winter clothing October to mid-March, per Grand Canyon Airlines. Grand Canyon Airlines may also add a per-person fuel surcharge collected at check-in.

Real flights and real prices

The plane day. The Grand Canyon Airlines Plane, Helicopter and Boat Tour is $624 for 7 hours: Strip hotel pickup, a 35-minute plane flight each way from Boulder City, a helicopter to the canyon floor, a 20-minute pontoon boat ride and the Grand Canyon West shuttle. The Skywalk is an upgrade added at booking.

The helicopter flights. At Grand Canyon West, Fly Below the Rim is $229. At the South Rim, the Papillon 30-Minute South Rim Helicopter Flight is $269 and the Maverick 45-Minute South Rim Helicopter Tour $339. From Las Vegas, landing tours run from $499 on the Maverick Wind Dancer Landing Tour from Las Vegas to $676.01 on the Maverick Sunset Helicopter Tour from Las Vegas.

Small extras apply on both aircraft. Grand Canyon Airlines charges a $15 window seat request payable after check-in, and may add a per-person fuel surcharge collected at check-in.