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Get Eric as your pilot! wonderful trip and guide! You should do this, if your going to Big Island , all worth it!

We flew with Blue Hawaiian Hellicopters from Hilo Hawaii over the active volcano and saw the amazing experience of an island being created by the eruption.We came to the Big Island specifically to take this tour and were not disappointed. The Blue Hawaiian company was recommended by the Sheraton Hotel . Do not miss this if you are in Hawaii.

We took the Big Island tour from Hilo to see the volcanic lava flow and waterfalls and while it was okay, and our pilot, Ethan, was very nice,it was not what we expected Perhaps it was because of the height of the A-Star helicopter, but we saw no flowing red hot lava. What we did see looked more like remains of a forest fire with a little bit of what looked like flames from remains of a forest fire. We did fly over some active volcanoes, and saw a great deal of rising smoke, but we saw almost the same sights while on foot in Volcanos National Park a couple of years ago. The waterfalls also looked potentially spectacular, but at such a far distance I wouldn't say they looked that impressive. I asked after the flight if there was a better time of day to see the lava flow, waterfalls, etc. and was told the scenes varied from day to day, so no, there was no special time of day that was better. We did get a terrific discount for agreeing to listen to a two-hour talk about buying time shares from a major real estate chain that was pushing time shares on the Big Island. Those were two hours well spent because before hand we knew nothing about time shares and by the time these hustlers were done, we knew we would never buy one from them. Those booking this trip will enjoy the flight itself, as the helicopters are very nice and staff are also, but what one gets to see is really the luck of the draw. It could be the most fabulous part of one's vacation or it could be just okay....

Seeing the volcano via helicopter had been on my Bucket List for a long time, so i was thrilled when my husband got me a trip for Christmas. We selected Blue Hawaiian for their excellent reputation and stellar safety record. We were not disappointed. You can get a 20% discount by booking 5 days in advance online, which we did. You can also find giftcards at Kona Costco for about the same value. We were fortunate that the weather was sunny and clear on our tour day, a rarity in Hilo. We got checked in and ready for our flight, but at the last minute we were told that our flight was cancelled due to a maintenance issue with the helicopter. I was devastated initially, but they quickly rescheduled us for a flight 3 hours later that day. That gave us time to have lunch and shop around Hilo before returning to the airport. On the bright side, we were assigned the front two seats of our rescheduled flight (we were in the back row previously), also they threw in a free DVD of our tour for the inconvenience. A $40 value. So I was happy with the change in plans. The ground crew was very nice, and our pilot was excellent. The tour was breathtaking and will be a treasured memory for me. We chose to go on the Eco-Star helicopter, the more expensive one. But I felt it was worth it. The ride was very comfortable and the visibility from all the windows was excellent. As we left the tarmac, I noticed some of the other tour operators' helicopters, and some of them were shockingly old! I was glad we flew on the nicest helicopter around. I would heartily recommend Blue Hawaiian to all interested in a helicopter tour.

Our pilot was Brody, excellent pilot and guide. Am home now reliving the experience through the great video. This was the best thing we did on Kauai!

The short version: they did everything I expected and exceeded my expectations. The longer version with the tips: How to book. The there are a few ways to do that, but the best way is to call. Why? Basically, you need to worry about 3 things: weather, seats and price. Since you want to enjoy the views, if you have a few days to choose from, call the company and ask the agent for an advice. They are nice and honest people and they'll tell you what would be the best strategy to plan your trip. The next is the seats. All helicopters have great windows and you'll be able to see those views. The front seats, especially the right one have slight advantage. You can't book a particular seat because they actually put all visitors on the scale and run a computer program to get a proper balance, but you can ask agent on the phone to request a front seat. That increases your chances (we got ours), but don't worry too much about that - the views from all seats are fantastic. Finally, the price. If you book early in advance, ask the agent on the phone if they can give you any discount. Sometimes they do. Ok, now done with the tips, let's get back to the tour. Be ready to pay a few dollars (something around $5) for parking. You need to arrive about 45 mins in advance, they are going to put you on a scale to get your weight and give you a security briefing. The lounge is really nice. Wear dark colors, please. Otherwise it will reflect in the windows and block the view. The ride is very smooth, so you don't need to worry about motion sickness. I don't think you can choose a pilot, ours was Coleen and she was excellent! Besides showing all main attractions, she also added some deep notes (like when she was showing the black lava dropping into the ocean - she mentioned that this place looks like the island when it was just born and got out of the water - so true!) I think this is about it. Great company, highly recommended!

We did the 50 min ride on Ecostar. Perfect. Our pilot was "Colleen". She made the experience Great. Very knowledgeable on history, topography, geography, current events and much more. Gave all of us on the helicopter (5+ pilot- it holds 6+pilot) an exclusive view. There was minimal Vog on the morning we flew. We saw multiple waterfalls and some areas of actual red burning spots at the volcano area. No visual lava river flow, like I would have imagined. But lots of fantastic views from above. We always felt safe. The company is detail and safety conscious. Memorable experience.

Great pilot! He was very knowledgeable about the sites and a gave us a great ride around the sites of the volcano, water falls and whale watching.

First time on a helicopter. Our tour of the volcano, waterfalls and whales was nothing less than spectacular. Greg was our pilot. He was very knowledgeable. He took the time for everyone on board to see everything. I would highly recommend.

We have traveled with Blue Hawaiian almost every time we have come to the islands. This time around we visited the volcano and were a little disappointed that Pele wasn't spewing out lava as we had seen in the past but it was still a very enjoyable ride. Our pilot, Eric, was very knowledgable about the area and it's surroundings.

We had an excellent adventure with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours while visiting Island Hawaii. Their entire staff are professional and efficient, and even though they fly (mostly) every hour all day long, they seem to be aware that this might be your first time to do so, and do their best to keep the experience fresh for you. Flying over the active volcano Kilauea was the thrill that we expected it to be. Unexpected was the excellent education we received on volcanic behavior and how it affects island life, with the ability to ask questions and communicate with our pilot (thank you Eric!). The interaction made the experience very personal, I thought. This was one of the highlights for us on Island Hawaii (the other being Volcanoes National Park), and we would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have an interactive experience as opposed to just seeing something. I also recommend purchasing the video of your tour, as, again, it is a very personalized record of your experience. (Had I known there was also a camera on us inside the chopper, I would have been a little more expressive!) I took lots of photos for my travel blog with my digital camera (and other reviewers are correct about not wearing white if you are taking photo's ~ there is a huge amount of bounce-back from the glass), but Pele' the Goddess of the Volcano is allot more dramatic when she's huffing and puffing and spewing on video ~ plus it gives you an excellent record of the education you received along the way. High recommendations from us on all counts!

Just completed the 2 hr tour across the big island. While we did see some activity in the active cauldera the weather prevented us from flying over the active flow and landing in Hilo as planned.also caused a delay to refuel....not ideal weather conditions for sure....it was an extremely windy day on the island with clear sunny skies on the west and heavy clouds and rain on the east. We are admittedly disappointed in that, but appreciate the fact they put our safety over our curiosity ..instead we had an increased opportunity to view the enhanced waterfall and rainbow activity along the coast that this weather is creating..several years ago we flew with BH over Oahu on a perfect day and while that was great, this was absolutely incredible..the dramatic weather here is a part of what makes this place so fascinating, and we definitely experienced that and it's implications..so in summary we are very happy customers..we are confident that Blue Hawaiian makes every effort to give their customers all they can while ensuring their well being...we highly recommend the experience

First, it is not Blue Hawaiian's fault that the weather on our day wasn't reasonable for a flight over the volcanos and they did appropriately cancel our flight and refund our money. My problem was that we had driven 1 1/2 hrs over from Kailua-Kona to Hilo. When we tried to reschedule we were told that the only thing available was 9:00 AM the next day. Since they require you to be there 45 min before the flight this was just too early to drive 1 1/2 hrs with a high probability of weather cancellation again. It seems to me that they are just a little heavily scheduled. If you are going you might want to schedule two flights 48 hrs apart. They have a 24 hr cancellation policy so if the first flight goes, you can cancel the second. If the first flight is cancelled, at least you have a second chance to go. I know this sounds like I'm taking advantage of them, but I feel like they sort of took advantage of me.

Must do to the Volcanoes and Lava. We did a land tour afterwards for the different perspective of more hands on but if you really what the lay of the land and to see the lava flow you need to be the air above it. We rode in and Echo Helicopter with two other couples and the pilot, Ethan. Ethan did a great job of maneuvering around so that everyone was able to see and experience the view. Pretty cool! Would definitely recommend and do again! Thanks for a wonderful experience Ethan!

We had a fantastic flight with our pilot Greg. So professional and knowledgeable. We would highly recommend this company to anyone!!