Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines Tours

Worst customer service ever. The day started with the shuttle driver being rude to us for being in the wrong pickup spot. We were exactly where we had been told to be at 9:45 and right on time. We should have taken that as a sign because it just went downhill from there. We waited an hour for our flight to leave once we arrived at the Boulder airport. The flight was fine - 20-30 bumpy minutes on a tiny plane. But, we expected this. Once landed, we were rushed to a bus line and given several instructions in a loud, crowded terminal. We were told to be back for our flight back by 4:15. From that point on most of our visit to the canyon consisted of standing in lines - and it was HOT! But, again, we could deal. We knew it was going to be hot (hello Grand Canyon!) The standing in line was miserable and no fun, but we just made the best of it. Each stop consisted of a good 30-45 minute wait in line. The food was terrible. Lukewarm, tasteless and WAY overpriced. What sent us over the top was when we got back to the terminal to get our flight back to Boulder City. We were there before 4pm. We had to sit on the hard, dirty floor because it was so crowded. We could find no one with our airlines to tell us where to go or what to do. So, we did what we'd done the entire day - waited. 4:15 came and went. We attempted to ask at least 3 times what was going on and no one would give us a straight answer. Finally, my friend was able to stop an employee of Grand Canyon Airlines and get an answer, which was the winds are too strong to fly, we're not sure when they can come back and get you. We said, ok... what about a bus? And her response was there are no buses. She was short and rude and acted as though we were putting her out by asking her questions! She said yeah, I wanna go home too. Really? So, we proceeded to wait, sitting on the hard dirty floor, in a crowded terminal and watched the other airlines continue to collect their passengers and fly back. They apparently could fly because of the type of plane they had. The employees of Grand Canyon Airlines had their window and door closed so that none of us could see them or talk to them. We continued to wait. The employees then just left! There we were at the Grand Canyon with no cell service with no idea of when or if we were going to get to leave and the employees just left us! We waited 2 hours before someone finally showed up and said oh, sorry... winds were bad. At that point we were just so thankful to get out of there! It was very unnerving to think we were at their mercy with no other way out. Once we got back to Boulder City, they then informed us it was going to be at least a 45 minute wait for our shuttle back to Las Vegas. At that point, we couldn't take it anymore. We went up to the desk and asked to speak with the manager. She was in the back, but told the girl at the desk to tell us she was off. No one could help us they said. We demanded to talk to someone. They called an Andrea, who spoke to at least 3 very upset and angry passengers and basically said sorry I can't do anything. The manager present (who was ""off') then says, you can leave in the shuttle or in the back of a cop car. Needless to say, it was a nightmare. We are still pursuing a full refund for the completely poor customer service and rude treatment we received. DON'T USE THIS COMPANY! more

We booked the tour for the 9 to 11 slot and had to call 24 hours ahead to confirm the time. We were to be picked up at 11:10 at our hotel which was a little later than we would have liked. The driver showed up a 11:05 and we arrived at the Boulder Airport south of Vegas around 11:45 to make a 12:15 flight. The plane was nice, it seats 2 on one side, one on the other. You are assigned seats by weight, but they keep couples in the same row. All the middle seats were empty on our flight so everyone had a window seat. The left side gets the best view going out, but the windows are large and you can easily see out both sides. We arrived at the canyon airport after about an hour and boarded a bus that had our plane load of 14 plus 12 from another plane. It was my wife and I, two japanese and 22 koreans who didn't speak much english. The good part was Roger the bus guide pretty much only had us to talk to. Roger was great. He has lived in the canyon for 20 years and made sure we knew what to look for at the stops. He was constantly pointing out stuff on the way and telling stories of canyon life. We made two stops, an hour each, eating a box lunch at the first one. Two hours isn't enough time to really appreciate the canyon, but you know all your getting is a quick look and some photo ops. Roger says a photo book isn't complete without a picture at the entrance sign so he stops there on the way back to the airport. We went in December so the days are short. Here's where the later start cost us. The plane took off after the sun had set and while there was a nice color to the horizon, we had no view on the return. An hour sooner and we would have seen a beautiful sunset lit canyon and returned to the lights of Vegas. We landed at Boulder airport at 6 pm and were back at our hotel by 7 so its an 8 hour deal door to door. All in all, it was what we expected and were very satisfied with all aspects of the trip. Had I known they were running outside the 9-11 window for actually taking off, I would have booked the earlier flight but 7-9 sounded a bit early for being in Vegas. Pros: Nice plane, courteous people, great bus guide. Cons: Not much time at the canyon, departure times aren't fixed more

We were picked up at our hotel and driven to the airport. We flew over the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and numerous landmarks along the way to the Grand Canyon. Once at the canyon, we made our descent, landing near the Colorado River, and had a champagne lunch in the Grand Canyon. Pros: Friendly staff, good communication, easy and affordable! Cons: Not enough time in the canyon. more

My family of 4 took the Grand Voyager Tour (Bus/Plane/Heli/Boat) of Grand Canyon West for less than $1200. and it was fabulous! We decided not to take the bus from our hotel but drove to the terminal in Boulder City so we could tour the Hoover Dam afterwards. Personally, I decided to take this tour because as a mom of 9 &10 yr. old boys and an extreme fear of them falling - I felt this was the safest way. It was great - Not 1 panic attack!The (plane) flight had great views and info on the Hoover Dam, Desert, and Canyon. The heli ride to the canyon floor was breathtaking! The pilot even allowed my sons to sit up front with him one going down and the other returning to the top. They really felt special! On the boat ride we have the coolest tour guide. He really went all out even bringing up a bucket of water so we could safely feel it's 45 degree year round temperature. After that, the skywalk at Eagle Point. Wow! Only my 9yr. old and husband went out on the Skywalk but they couldn't sto more

this ride was even better than the Scenic Airlines ride we did over the grand canyon. The catch is...the helicopter can go down..I mean really down..and you see a lot more than not just by small plane going across the canyon. Great flight great pilot we loved it. more

The helicopter ride was fun and definitely an excellent way to see the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc. I don't know anything about helicopters, but the EcoStar seems really cool, especially because there's so much visibillity - almost no matter where you're sitting. But the bus ride to the heliport was really long. It took well over an hour to get there and about an hour and twenty minutes to get back, even though we were staying right on the Vegas strip (Circus Circus). We spent more time in buses than in the helicopter - more like twice as long, in fact. So, if you like helicopters and love buses, this would be great trip to take. Pros: Great equipment, pleasant, informed pilot Cons: Long bus ride, drivers and staff rather rude and unhelpful more

The tour itself is good, the Grand Canyon is definitely a sight to see - the problem is the company running the tour.\r \r We had booked a Grand Canyon tour from Las Vegas. First problem was the pickup from our hotel - 45 minutes late, and after a phone call to see where they were. Then we arrive at Scenic, and are informed of another delay, this time over an hour. They blame the second delay on a traffic jam - of which there was no evidence on our commute to their offices. We suspect they forgot about us and shifted us on a later tour. The result of the above is that we missed the show that we had booked for the evening. \r \r Couple the above with their transportation managers unhelpful attitude and refusal to help us get a faster drop off, a tardy response to my written complaint (which seemed to be a standard response saying delays happen, but they take no responsibility), our overall impression is rather go with another company (and not Papillon as they are the same company) Pros: Grand Canyon is a must see Cons: lots of waiting more

We took the tour from Las Vegas. All transfers were on time. The only wait we had was from the Boulder City airport to the hotel at the end of the day but we were still back at the hotel close to the time promised. If you are booking dinner or a show for afterwards don't book anything before 7:00 p.m. Traffic and the numerous hotel stops could delay your return to the hotel. more

Nice helicopter. Customer service is lacking at best. We were there for over an hour waiting on a heli that we had reserved months ahead. Others came in the front door and got on flights ahead of us. Young kids running the place with no clue as to proper business sense. I've tried to resolve my issues with Papillon numerous times, but they won't acknowledge my emails or letters. I bought a DVD of the Canyon that's nothing more than a 40 minute ad for Papillon and want my money back. They said they'd take care of it 3 months ago, but haven't. I would not recommend this place for your Grand Canyon tour. Pros: Nice helicopters Cons: NO customer service more

Be prepared to wait around a lot as the company assembles all of the tourists from different trips and different hotels. Bus was not air conditioned on both outbound and inbound trip. Since it was different vehicles, I can only assume they were trying to save a couple bucks. It was no fun sitting for 50 minutes on a bus that was 95 degrees or more. Pros: Can't beat the grand canyon Cons: You'll grow old waiting for them to get you there! more

We recently took the Grand Celebration helicopter tour. The Papillon staff could not have been more helpful in accommodating our last minute request. We had a beautiful flight. Our pilot, Bill, made us feel very comfortable as this was our first helicopter tour. We had a great time and it was - by far - the highlight of our Vegas trip! We would do it again in a heartbeat! more

Did the Grand canyon celebration landing trip , to the bottom of the canyon, with a champagne picnic, It was awesome , i would highly recommed it. Took my sister and her husband. the Staff were friendly, pilot was great, i felt like he was our personal tour guide. now I know why they are the biggest and best. now they got me hooked on helicopters. will try hawaii next more

My husband and I recently vacationed in Las Vegas and prebooked online a helicopter tour with Papillon Helicopters. We took the Grand Celebration tour, which was the highlight of our entire vacation. We flew over the Hoover Dam as well as Lake Mead and landed at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for pictures and lunch! Papillon staff and our pilot were very helpful and friendly. We shopped around online to see what the better deal was between companies and Papillon by far had the better offer, we even got a FREE Vegas Night Flight out of it. The Canyon tour lasted almost 4 hours. The Night Flight was short at less than 15 minutes but it was spectacular seeing all of the hotels lit, we even saw the fountains go off at the Bellagio, very romantic!! We will definitely recommend friends and family when they visit Las Vegas! Pros: friendly staff Cons: pick up a little late more