Reviews

Felt very safe. Saw so many beautiful things: lava flow falling in the ocean, lava on the land, valleys, falls ... Worth the price.

Our pilot was great and made everyone feel at ease. The view were fantastic overall an awesome experience.

During our recent cruise to the big island, the tenders were even shut down for a few hours as the sea was rough and it was quite dangerous. By the time we got to our destination, all Big Island Spectacular helicopter tours were cancelled due to bad weather. However, they compensated us by taking us on the Kohala coast helicopter tour – a freebie! This included views over the island including the farm land and ranches to the valleys and waterfalls - spectacular scenery on the Big Island. The towering sea cliffs open into the dramatically deep and meandering valleys of the Kohala Mountains. Beautiful waterfalls cascade thousands of feet into the rainforest below and remnants of ancient Hawaiian settlements are still visible too. Two of us were lucky enough to draw Greg as our pilot – an awesome, fun, friendly, knowledgeable young man. We were also lucky enough to draw 2 front seats beside Greg. Got tons of fabulous pictures and consider this to be another highlight of our trip.

Just a great way to see the Big Island! Jason, our pilot was professional and friendly and had a great sense of humor. He was also knowledgeable and courteous. Worth the cost! The ground crew were great as well! A MUST!

First class all the way! Roomy aircraft, comfortable, very professional staff who helped us fully with the enter and exit, strapping in, just a First Class operation all the way. We took the Island tour, the pilot made sure that both sides of the chopper were offered the same views for photography. He explained what we were seeing as well as where we were. I highly recommend Blue Hawaiian Helicopters - can't see many of the views from any other way! We flew over the volcanos, the shoreline, the canyons.

Yes, you will think this is expensive; and it is. You could get a cheaper ticket to the mainland but that is a cattle run. This is truly an experience you shouldn't pass up. Toshi was an excellent pilot and guide. We took the 2 hour tour and went all the way to the Kilauea volcano, saw the lava flows and where the lava meets the ocean. From there we went up into the Kohala valleys and were able to see vistas only accessible by air. The entire staff at Blue Hawaiian could not have been nicer. The obviously have been schooled in guest service. All were very attentive and kind. Great place to do business.

We really enjoyed our helicopter ring of fire flight. Scott was an excellent pilot and tour guide as well as a comedian. The flight took us over the active volcano, we got to see active lava in lava tubes and hitting the ocean. We would recommend this activity to anyone visiting Hawaii!

We booked a trip and were super excited to fly but it was cancelled by weather so we never made it up into the air. However the customer service was exceptional and they were super accommodating. I'm sure other tour companies would have taken people up and showed them some clouds but these guys clearly wanted us to have a great trip and when they knew they couldn't deliver they offered to reschedule and or refund with no complaint. This is great customer service and it was totally noticed.

Had a great time with our pilot Tim. We did the Circle of Fire tour which took us over the waterfalls and volcano. We had booked the tour through Pleasant Holidays and paid for the tour previously. The problem that I had was the additional "fuel surcharge" when we arrived at the tour company. I feel that this was alittle extreme, as we had already paid for the tour. If there is a fuel surcharge, fine, but maybe it should be included in the initial price instead of surprising people at the airport.

Two friends and I took the flight over the volcano from Hilo airport in February, 2013. I took a plane tour several years ago and I would recommend taking the helicopter tour. It was great! Pilot was very knowledgable about the area. The staff at the airport was very accommodating and very helpful explaining all the rules when in the air. You will see things that you won't be able to see on the ground, or it would be too difficult to see. Great day!

We took the 1pm flight on the Eco Star helicopter, and it was great. You get good viewing even from the back seat. It cost a little more to go on the Eco Star, but it was worth it. We went over the volcano and out over the ocean, it was fantastic. You go to the Hilo International airport, take a short briefing/video before boarding.

My husband and I did the Circle of Fire tour. It was an absolutely amazing experience and one of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii. We chose the Ecostar option which was a great idea, and as we both got to sit up front we saw everything! Jeremy, our pilot was very knowledgeable and friendly. He made sure that everyone in the helicopter got to see the major sites (looping and circling several times) such as the volcano caldera and the lava flowing out over the sea. Yes it is a bit of a pricey tour, but I would thoroughly recommend it!

We flew with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours out of Hilo! We had Tim for our pilot and he was outstanding! We had very windy conditions for our flight and our ride was smooth and fantastic! The entire family enjoyed our time and would go again in a heart-beat!

The only thing that would have made this trip perfect would have been sunshine and I know the tour company can't do anything about that. In spite of the rain and clouds, our pilot expertly flew us over some active lava flows on the side of the volcano. We also saw what was left of a village that was covered in lava in the 80's. Then he flew us to the ocean and we watched the lava falling into the sea and adding more land to the island. The lava display into the ocean wasn't that spectacular as the steam covers up most of it, but I can imagine it would be pretty at night. We had a seat in the back and still had great views. I booked it through Expedia local and their package included a free DVD and t-shirt from Blue Hawaiian. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learing more about volcanos. There aren't very many easily accessible active lava flows like this one, so go see it while it is still flowing!

As a licensed pilot I'm very concerned about air safety. After seeing the aircraft used by the three tour companies operating out of Hilo I was pleased I booked with Blue Hawaiian. Their copters were the newest and were equiped with flotation devices. I did not see flotation devices on other tour companies copters. Since the tour route is over water at low altitude (so one can see lava flowing into the ocean) an engine-out failure would result in a water landing. Blue Hawaii's copters would remain afloat long enough for an orderly evacuation. Blue Hawaii is obviously very dedicated to the safety of their passengers.