Reviews

Thank you Rick B....great experience, professional and personable making those non flyers comfortable, our family of 6 will spread the word for sure! Good luck with the new addition!The staff was great and Francine ( hope is Spelled correctly) thank you! And we 'will' be back. Griffith family

During recent visit to the Big Island I decided to explore the island by air. I have always heard Blue Hawaiian Helicopters did a great job so after learning about my options I decided to book the Big Island Spectacular tour aboard their Eco-Star chopper making this my maiden flight on Blue Hawaiian. The team was very friendly and welcoming which definitely lived to the company's reputation. Our pilot Steve was fun and engaging though my way to truly judge the experience is based on the flight itself. My disappointment had nothing to do with the staff or the aircraft as these are very nice and well maintained but the fact is that I felt paying $562 for an experience that takes place 80% on the side of the aircraft you're not sitting on isn't worth it. While I understand these aircrafts are small and with generous windows, the reality is that the perspective you get from the experience sitting opposite to the points of interest does not give you the same experience as those on that end so paying the same amount of money makes no sense especially if taking photos is one of your top interests. When you go to a theater, you pay top dollar to sit in the orchestra but sitting in the mezzanine costs less. In an airplane, first class gives you that experience, otherwise you're in a whole different world in coach for a much less fare. That said, sitting in seat #7 behind the pilot, next to an employee that has come along for the ride and not being able to truly have a first class experience like those on the right side of the copter is no different than that mezzanine level or a coach seat. Perhaps the experience is formatted differently to avoid this where the pilot covers the same points of interest by flying over the areas twice once for each side of the copter like a cruise ship normally does. And if this isn't an option then, seats six and seven on these aircrafts should not be sold at a premium. For those looking at these experiences, if you care, and even though seat assignments are done "based on weight" maybe you can ask ahead about the seat you will occupy so you assess whether paying for your flight is worth or not to you.

I had a hard time finding a Helicopter Tour. The first cimoany I tried very rudely rejuected because I am plus sized. Blue Hawaiian however mad my Birthday trip Wonnderful. They had no probkem with my weight I saw the amazing sights from the air. Lava was flowing it was wild!! Great way to spend a birthday. I felt safe and had fun. Thanks!!

Very professional down to the ground personnel to the pilots. I was a little disappointed that they would not allow any grip extensions for my go pro.

When we decided to visit Hawaii one of the big things I wanted to do was a helicopter flight over the volcano. I had no real idea what to expect having never been sight seeing in a helicopter before, but Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and our pilot Shane exceeded any my wildest imaginings. I guess that's probably pretty easy in a place like Hawaii with it's beautiful scenery, but the service provided around the flight was exceptional. Right from the pick up at the hotel, the check in process, even the safety briefing was all performed in a very friendly and professional manner. Shane was an excellent tour guide and encouraged and answered our questions, and constantly maneuvered the helicopter so that people sitting on both sides could see what was going on and get great photos. There was an issue with the helicopter (one of the radios was playing up) so we had to wait at the halfway point (Hilo airport) while Shane went and got another one, but this was an unavoidable inconvenience and didn't bother us or the other passengers at all. The ground staff stayed with us and kept us entertained while we waited and in no time Shane was back and we continued the tour. I would highly recommend these guys, it's an amazing way to see the island and a great company to do it with.

We booked the Big Island Spectacular but ended up taking the Kohala Coast Adventure due to questionable weather out towards Hilo. While I was initially disappointed about the change of plans, I soon forgot about it when we lifted off. What a great excursion with amazing scenery. Our pilot Toshi kept the mood light and pointed out the various points of interest during our journey. He truly exhibited the 'aloha' spirit during our trip. The rest of the staff was quite professional/efficient in the handling their duties. The entire experience was above and beyond what I was expecting. I was credited back the cost difference of the two trips via their accounting department in about 1 week as promised - no issues. If you have never been on a helicopter (like me...) 1) It can be a little warm/stale in the cabin until you lift off 2) Dark clothing will help keep down the reflections as you try to take pics 3) If you are prone to motion sickness, some dramamine may be in order

We had a very capable pilot, I believe his name was Scott(a US vet who flew Black Hawks), and what a great time!! He was very knowledgeable, and entertaining, we all had a great time. We got married the day before in Hawaii, and all our family went on the tour, and they all enjoyed the magnificent views as well. It brought tears to my eyes. You don't get to see Hawaii like this unless you do a heli tour. Waterfalls, valleys, lava!! This company was very put together & organized. Highly recommend this tour, and get the $27 DVD- so you can enjoy all the scenery again & again! Great times....

Did not disappoint! The crew was professional and focused on safety. The pilot gave us a smooth flight and plenty of viewing along the way.

There was no flowing lava in the park unfortunately so this was the only way we could see it. Although small areas and nothing as dramatic as the advertisements we did get to see the craters you can not see from below. Our pilot,Greg, made a good effort to give us the best views of the volcanoes and waterfalls.

We tried to fly two different days after being rescheduled but the weather did not allow it. Although the company obviously has no control over the weather it certainly seems there should be a better process to cancel a tour. We drove 2 hours one way two days in a row (a total of 8 wasted hours) from Kona to Hilo, only to be in the middle of viewing the safety video and have a crew member come in to announce the tour was cancelled 15 minutes before the scheduled take off time. It seems a decision could made an hour or two with a phone call to guests to avoid wasting precious limited time on their Hawaiian vacation. I realize weather can change within minutes but the 24 hour cancellation policy is quite restrictive, and does not provide any allowance for weather (although if they would cancel earlier than 15 minutes before the scheduled take off time, they would not need to alter the 24 hour cancellation policy).

We were recently in Kauai off of our cruise ship and took a tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. They certainly didn't disappoint. First off they do a tremendous job of making sure that you are safe and secure. You could tell that safety was their number one priority. Being first timers on a helicopter, we were all of a little anxious and they certainly helped to calm our fears. Second was the trip itself which was magnificient! Special shout out to our helicopter pilot Michael who was professional, knowledgeable and very friendly. He made the trip even better!

My father was a helicopter pilot during the vietnam war and hadn't flown much since so I thought it would be fun to tour the big island with him in a helicopter. Our big hope was to see some flowing lava. The volcanos and small areas of lava were very interesting but not the best part. We were amazed by the incredibly tall waterfalls on the north side of the island and the pilot (Steve). Steve was very personable and gave a lot of interesting insights on hawaii and it's culture. Toward the end of the tour, he brought the helicopter into these lush valleys and hovered the helicopter right in front of five very close half mile tall waterfalls. I was blown away. Having traveled extensively, this view could compete with the highlights I've seen in nature anywhere. Couldn't recommend this flight more.

I just can't say enough good about this experience. We were a little skeptical because it was only a 50 minute tour, but after being on the helicopter tour for that amount of time, I feel like it was plenty enough. Not because I didn't enjoy it by any means. But that's how good the tour operator is...they give you enough of what you want,making sure everyone on board was satisfied. High five to Scott our pilot... He called every one of us by first name, and struck up conversation better than most people can, but that's his job. He was made for this. We thoroughly enjoyed conversing and learning from him. He was definitely interested in our comfort and experience, evidenced by the fact that he made multiple passes over the volcano so that everyone on board was able to have the best views and photo ops. We left the volcano area to see picturesque waterfalls seen only by air. Wow! I could have continued on, but we saw plenty enough and had plenty more to do after the air tour. Scott, you are awesome! Thank you for one of the most memorable experiences of our lives! I highly recommend this tour...it reminds us all of how powerful the Creator is....and seeing his hand at work is more than words can possibly describe. Go go!!!!

We knew Hilo is a place where it rains... A LOT. Well, mother nature didn't disappoint. We booked a helicopter tour. Got up really early and drove from Kona to Hilo (2 hours) for a 10:00 reservation. Left Kona in the gorgeous sunshine only to come down the mountain into clouds, fog and rain. And yep, our flight was cancelled. The reason I gave them 4 stars is because they could have gone ahead and taken us on the flight-and we would have seen absolutely nothing. So I appreciate the integrity of their business in not taking advantage of us. So my advice is- book the flight for early in your stay. That way if it's cancelled, you can rebook for another day. The same flight from Kona is about $200 pp more. So if time is more valuable than $$, you can fly out of Kona and save yourself 4-5 hours of screwing around driving. Would have been cool to see the volcano, but wasn't going to happen this time around...

Tim, thanks for sharing your knowledge of the area as well as making sure we all enjoy the trip. It was a real treat to be part of your flight. I am so glad i selected BlueHawaiian helicopters for this trip. Worth every dollar.