Reviews

we opted for the doors off experience and it was amazing, best way to see the island, Jim our pilot was funny, knowledgeable and just a fab person!!! This is a must do for anyone visiting , the scenes are amazing and the sideways manoveres are thrilling !!!

We did the doors off with Jim and had a ball. Absolutely loved this, we saw so much and Jim's commentary and humour were great. A really professional operation and we would recommend this company to everyone. Just do it!

This is a must do! The helicopter ride was so thorough as we toured the city and the pilot , Morley was so knowledgeable about the city. We had a great time. Once in a lifetime experience!

We did the Magnum doors-off tour with Jim. An amazing, awesome experience! Unbelieveably spectacular views. A first-class operation--well organized, safe, and Jim was an exceptional guide--knowledgeable and funny. I was very nervous about doors off, but once we were airborne, the views were so exhilarating I forgot about my fear. I highly recommend this tour!!

Was picked up promptly at the Trump International at 12pm for our helicopter ride with Makani Kai. Made 2 more hotel stops and we were off to the heliport. After a few brief videos while en route to the landing, we arrived in about 20 minutes. A few safety instructions of the inflatable life jacket came next. We were told to line up based upon their calculations after giving them everyone's weight (to balance the helicopter) and soon we boarded! Capt Morley was a great tour guide! Very knowledgable about the island as well as its history and made the 45 minute trip as pleasant as can be. Little to no turbulence at all. We had clear, beautiful skies. And saw everything from DiamondHead, Pearl Harbor, North Shore and the pipeline! Was a perfect last day activity to our vacation!

i thought this is not a good idea from the moment we were picked up by the free courtesy bus from our hotel my heart was thumping in my chest in anticipation of my first helicopter flight with no doors ! On arrival at the airport we were given assurances that we would be in great hands and would have the experience of a life time and how right they were. Our Pilot Jim was fantastic ! the spectacular views and the interesting insight into how the helicopters function Jim's detailed knowledge of the island and expert commentary soon had my heart rate lowering and allowed me to tick off a bucket list item. I could not fault this experience and would highly recommend Makani Kai Helicopters and Jim for an experience of a life time !

There is no better way to see the island of Oahu than in a thrilling, incredibly scenic, completely safe helo tour. Makani Kai's staff is super friendly, professional, and fun. Our pilot "Morley" did a fantastic job filling us in on local facts and fascinating history of the island as we hovered above soaking in the views that cannot be found from the ground. Will definitely be back when other family and friends are visiting us here in Paradise. MAHALO!

We were picked from our hotel in a comfortable van, and shown a couple of safety videos. We had opted for the open door experience, and in my opinion this is the way to go. The pilot/guide gave us a running commentary of the sights which was very interesting. Unfortunately about one third the way through the weather closed in. The pilot wasn't willing to fly through the mountains in near zero visibility. In strongly support that. The measure of a business isn't how they perform when things go right, it is how they react when things don't go as planned. We negotiated a very reasonable refund. The trip that we did have and the customer service we received means that when I'm in Hawaii again, I'm going back to them to see if we can get to see the rest of the island.

Great group to fly with. Pilot Jeff was retired Army colonel who has lived his whole life on the island. Knowledgable, fun, and funny. Quality equipment in good repair and safety oriented. Definitely a pro organization. And they picked us up at the hotel- gratis. FOR THOSE AFRAID OF FLYING/HEIGHTS: Me too. At least the heights thing. And I'm very aware when I'm zipping thru the air at 8 miles per minute at 36k feet that I'm doing it in essentially a large, pressurized soda can. The squirrelly thing about it is that with doors off, you feel none of that. So for those of you dreading this because you're just doing it for the kids, don't. It's more like the back seat of a Camaro with the top down.

We had a helicopter tour of Oahu with Pilot Jim. It was well worth the money and a great way to see the island. Our pilot Jim was fantastic and a real character. Would recommend this to all!

We booked the helicopter tour of Oahu. We were picked up from our hotel by James. James was very friendly and chatted with us both before and after our tour. Very nice guy (and he looks like Aaron Rodgers)! Our pilot Jim did a great job and has a great sense of humor! He informed us before he made turns and pointed out all the sites. We signed up for the 45 minute tour around Oahu. We were able to take some great pictures and video. I would highly recommend taking a helicopter tour with Makani Kai Helicopters the next time you are in Hawaii. We had our tour on a Friday morning, we returned to the mainland that Sunday and I just received my video of our flight yesterday (Thursday). I can't wait to go back and take another tour! Thank you James and Jim!

We did the 45 min helicopter flight with Makani today. We did the 8am flight. They picked us up on time from our hotel and showed the safety video en route. Explained that doors off you can take a camera or phone (with a strap, which they can loan). Lockers are available for $1 (in quarters) for any other belongings. The weather was a little inclement and we had not packed jackets. They kindly offered jackets as we were doing the doors off flight. Our pilot was Doug. He was excellent as was our driver/flight preparation man (sorry,can't remember name). I haven't used any of the other helicopter operators so I can't compare but Makani were excellent, professional and safety comes first. Highly recommended. Also, the price we paid via hotel concierge was it, no hidden extra fees or plus tax. Round trip transfers were included.

My Husband and I did the 50 minute doors off helicopter experience this past week on our honeymoon and loved it! Our pilot was Jim and he was so fun and enthusiastic. Jim looks like TC and the copter was very Magnum PI! We paid a bit more for the premium seating in the front row and we're happy with our choice as the back row chairs didn't look as comfy. Overall, a great way to see the Island and we had a blast with Jim!

Best trip I've ever done!! Would do it again in a heartbeat!! Views were breathtaking and the whole experience was AMAZING thanks to Pilot Jim!! Loved it!! Book to sit in the front

I had several hours layover in Honolulu a couple days ago and had heard about the Doors Off tour from a friend. Schedule matched so I booked an afternoon flight! As I arrived direct from the airport the friendly people at the office helped me store my hand luggage for the duration of the flight and showed a brief safety video while I was waiting for the other passenger to arrive. Our pilot was Jim and I really liked his style of casually talking through everything that was about to happen during the flight - just enough serious when needed and plenty of humor. The doors off experience was really cool, I must have grinned ear-to-ear for most of the flight - I know the guy on the other side of the chopper did! The flight took us around most of the island with really good visibility to the sights. After the flight I got the complimentary shuttle to Waikiki to spend the rest of my layover before continuing onwards with my trip. This was definitely an experience worth the cost, I highly recommend!