Blue Hawaiian Helicopters

Hawaii's statewide helicopter tour company

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters runs its own helicopter sightseeing tours across Hawaii, with its own pilots and fleet of A-Star and Eco-Star helicopters. Its about page says it "has been the leading helicopter tour company in Hawaii since 1985, and is the only one that serves all four major Hawaiian islands: Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island." The FAQ gives the history: the business began on Kauai in 1982 as South Sea Helicopters and took the Blue Hawaiian name in 1985, and today has bases on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and in both Hilo and Waikoloa on the Big Island. The FAQ also says Blue Hawaiian and Sundance Helicopters of Las Vegas are subsidiaries of Air Methods Corporation. Tours leave from Honolulu and Turtle Bay on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Princeville and Lihue on Kauai, Hilo and Waikoloa on the Big Island, and Lanai Airport. Besides sightseeing, the company flies charters for golfers, hikers and travelers, and utility work such as firefighting and search and rescue.

Tours by island, with prices

The homepage lists each tour with a "from" price and a flight time:

Big Island. Big Island Spectacular from Waikoloa, from $719.00, 1h 45m; Kohala Coast Adventure from Waikoloa, from $419.00, 50m, over the North Shore sea cliffs; Discover Hilo Tour, from $439.00, 50m, over new volcanic landscapes and black-sand beaches; Hilo Waterfall Experience, from $459.00, 55m; and Waterfalls and Volcano by Air and Land from Waikoloa, from $1,009.00, an 8h day that adds a ground visit to Kilauea.

Maui (Kahului). Waterfalls of West Maui and Molokai, from $419.00, 50m; Maui and Molokai Spectacular, from $559.00, 1h 30m; Majestic Maui, from $419.00, 50m; and Hana Rainforest, from $419.00, 50m.

Oahu. From Honolulu, Blue Skies of Oahu, from $399.00, 50m, and Complete Island Oahu, from $475.00, 1h 5m. From Turtle Bay, Oahu Air Adventure, from $499.00, 50m; Discover North Shore, from $349.00, 30m; and Turtle Bay Signature Sky, from $599.00, 1h 5m.

Kauai. Discover Kauai from Princeville, from $499.00, 45m; Kauai Eco Adventure from Lihue, from $409.00, 50m; and West Kauai Legends from Lihue, from $369.00, 40m.

Lanai. Maui Nui from Lana'i Airport, from $1,996.00, 2h.

The homepage shows review counts next to many tours, the company's own figures, such as 34,110 for the Lihue tours and 22,457 for the Hilo tours.

What the flight is like

The FAQ is detailed. Every flight is filmed with 4 cameras (3 outside, 1 in the cabin) from boarding to landing, with music and the pilot's narration, and the video is on sale when you land. Unless you charter the whole aircraft you share it with other guests; the company tries to seat couples and families together but says seating follows its FAA-approved weight and balance program. Maui, Waikoloa and Hilo tours use both A-Stars and Eco-Stars, while Kauai and Oahu use Eco-Stars only. Front row seats can be reserved for a fee, with combined front-row weight under 319 lbs on the A-Star and 470 lbs on the Eco-Star and individual weights under 250 lbs and 260 lbs respectively; at least one front-seat passenger must be 15 or older, and lap children cannot sit in front.

Practical advice from the company: check in 45 minutes before the tour, wear dark solid colors to cut window reflections, no hats around the helicopters, closed-toe shoes for tours with a landing, and no scuba diving within 24 hours (or SNUBA within 12 hours) before flying. The company describes its flights as "very smooth" and says "This is a professional scenic tour, not a thrill ride." On lava, it says only Big Island tours over Volcanoes National Park have a chance of seeing it, and that it "cannot be guaranteed." More generally, the FAQ says the points of interest in each tour description are highlights the pilots do their best to show "depending on wind and weather," since volcanic activity and waterfalls shift. It also notes an FAA altitude restriction of 1500 feet over the islands, in effect since 1994, with deviations to 500 ft. that virtually all Hawaii operators share, and says the time of day matters less than your own schedule in normal weather.

On access, the FAQ says all bases except the Oahu locations and Princeville are wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant, some with a chair lift for passengers up to 250 lbs, and service animals are allowed in the back seats.

Booking, cancellation and credentials

Booking is online or by phone on 1.800.745-2583, with reservations staff available 7:00am to 7:00pm Hawaii Standard Time and an online chat. The cancellation policy is clear: "A 24-hour notice is required for any changes or cancellations," and "No shows and changes within 24 hours will be charged the full amount." If the company cancels for weather, it does so on the day, near flight time, and offers a reschedule or "a 100% refund" with no penalty. It advises booking early in a stay so there is room to reschedule, and warns that flying to another island just for a tour risks losing the trip to weather.

The company says its pilots must be certified as State of Hawaii Tour Guides, that it is the only Hawaii helicopter tour company with its own flight simulator, and that its pilots go through annual factory and FAA recurrent training. It cites the FAA's "Certificate of Excellence - Diamond Award" for its mechanics every year since 1997 and the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences' Six Star Diamond Award every year since 1995.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The homepage prices are "from" figures, and the site does not say what front-row seat reservations cost. The tour cards give flight time rather than total time on site, and the FAQ asks guests to leave a cushion afterward because weather can shift take-off and return times. The site is in English and Japanese.

Blue Hawaiian suits visitors on any of the main islands who want a narrated scenic flight with a clear refund rule for weather, a video to take home and published seating and weight rules. Families should read the front-seat and child rules first, and travelers using a wheelchair should check which base their tour leaves from.