Reviews

I do not like to fly and I have a fear of heights, but I made myself go on this open door helicopter tour and I am so glad I did! From start to finish, there was not one thing I did not like.The pilot was awesome and the views were breathtaking! Well worth the money. For those who are like me, don't worry, you are securely strapped in and you have a strap to hold onto. You will forget your fear and be in awe at the amazing sites from such a rarely seen view point. Definitely bring a camera and dress warm,it gets cold above the mountain tops. The shuttle picked us up at 8 am and we were back at our resort by 11 am just in time for lunch. I definitely recommend this flight around Oahu you will not regret it!

From the moment we were picked up at our hotel until we were dropped off, it was perfect. Our pilot Jim was professional, funny and most informative about everything he showed us up in the air. Jim had taken his time to explain everything step by step, he explained how the copter would move, he explained the history of Hawaii and it's sights and he poke about the famous people that lived in various places that we had flown over. The ride was not only safe, but the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I recommend anyone coming to visit Hawaii take this ride by Makani Kai Helicopters. You will not be disappointed.

This was my first helicopter ride and well worth it! The pilot was very informative and the scenery was spectacular! I was pleased to have the option to purchase a DVD of the ride (which I did)....but must admit that I was disappointed in the video quality of the DVD -- since the helicopter is used to film TV & movie footage (we were told), I expected a better quality of video from the aircraft camera. Even so, I would highly recommend Makani Kai Helicopters to anyone!

picked up & dropped back at our Waikiki hotel with the shuttle, had an amazing 30 minute flight over the island with an extremely friendly and knowledgeable pilot. This has to be the best way to check out the island early on in your visit so you can get your bearings then go exploring. Highly recommended.

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!