Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters

Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters runs its own helicopter and airplane tours, plus Hummer, ATV and river trips, across the Grand Canyon and the desert Southwest. It calls itself "the largest and most experienced Grand Canyon helicopter tours company in the world," flying "daily tours since 1965," and the company overview says it was founded by Elling Halvorson in that year. Tours start from Las Vegas, Grand Canyon National Park (the South Rim), Grand Canyon West, Page in Arizona (for Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend) and Phoenix/Scottsdale. The homepage says the company has "three exclusive landing sites on the floor of the canyon" and is "certified to fly the entire Grand Canyon with exclusive landing sites on Hualapai and Navajo Nation lands." Prices are in US dollars.

Terminals and destinations

The locations page lists the terminals. The Las Vegas Terminal at 5060 Koval Lane, opened in 1997 at Harry Reid Airport, sits "just a block away from the fabulous Vegas casinos" and handles Strip night flights and many Grand Canyon departures. The Boulder City Terminal (1265 Airport Rd.), 30 minutes from the Strip, launches many of the most popular canyon tours, including the Grand Celebration. There are also a South Rim terminal at Grand Canyon National Park Airport, a West Rim base at Grand Canyon West Airport in Peach Springs on Hualapai land, the Page Municipal Airport terminal for Horseshoe Bend, Tower Butte and Antelope Canyon tours, and a heliport next to the Hoover Dam Lodge. The South Rim and Page terminals do not operate tours on December 25. Destinations also include Grand Canyon North with overnight stays at Bar 10 Ranch, Valley of Fire, and overnight tours to Sedona and Moab. The company overview lists Established 1965, Helicopters 45, Airplanes 18, Hummers 7 and Destinations 10. The locations page adds that Grand Canyon West, with lookouts at Eagle Point and Guano Point and the Skywalk, is the only area of the canyon where a helicopter tour can land at the bottom, and the homepage FAQ says those landing tours descend 4000 ft. to the canyon floor. The press page notes the company's 60th anniversary in November 2025 and an article on Brenda Halvorson of The Papillon Group.

Tours and durations

From Grand Canyon National Park, the North Canyon Tour follows the Colorado River from the South Rim toward the North Rim in approximately 25-30 minutes, and a North Canyon Family Flight puts a group of 4 or more on a dedicated aircraft. The Grand Kingdom flight explores the North and East Rim in the EcoStar helicopter, "offering 180-degree viewing and stadium-style seat design," in approximately 40-50 minutes. From Las Vegas, Las Vegas Strip Highlights is a flight of approximately 10-15 minutes over the Strip and Downtown; the Golden Eagle Air Tour covers Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Grand Canyon West in approximately 3.5-4 hours hotel to hotel; and the Grand Celebration Tour lands on the canyon floor for a champagne toast near the Colorado River, approximately 4 to 4.5 hours hotel to hotel. The menus also list VIP experiences, private flights, Skywalk tours at Grand Canyon West, Hummer ground tours with sunset departures, ATV and UTV trips, and combination packages. The company overview names hiking at the Grand Canyon and smooth water float trips on the Colorado River as well. The fleet page names the EC130/H130 EcoStar helicopter, the Cessna Caravan and the DeHavilland Vistaliner Twin Otter.

Weddings and proposals

Papillon sells helicopter weddings and proposals with published prices. The Las Vegas Helicopter Wedding Package starts at $1,249 and the Las Vegas proposal package at $895. The Grand Canyon Wedding Package, which lands on a plateau "3,200 feet below the rim," starts at $4,799 and the Grand Canyon proposal at $3,899. Valley of Fire packages start at $3,609 for a wedding and $2,819 for a proposal. The FAQ says a luxury electric Mercedes S Class or Cadillac Escalade collects the couple from their hotel, that a helicopter typically seats six (subject to total weight), that a professional photographer and flat-rate gratuity for chauffeur, photographer and minister are included in wedding packages, and that ceremonies are available in English, Spanish, Catalan and German. Las Vegas weddings take about 1.5 - 2 hours and Grand Canyon weddings about 3.5 - 4 Hours hotel to hotel. If weather cancels a flight, the site says it is typically rescheduled, with a Strip wedding chapel as the fallback.

On the day and booking

The homepage FAQ says hotel transfers are included from Las Vegas only, that narration is pre-recorded in several languages (it names Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese and English) with choreographed music, and that most tours operate 364 days a year, with only bus and airplane tours on Christmas Day. Departures run from early morning to late afternoon and evening. Grand Canyon tours from the Las Vegas VIP Terminal include hotel-to-hotel transport, while Boulder City tours use pick-up points along the Strip. Reservations go through (702) 736-7243, 8AM to 8PM (PST), or res@papillon.com, and the site offers gift certificates, a Best Rate Guarantee and a Large Groups & Events line.

On safety and scale, the company overview says Papillon has two FAA Diamond Awards for maintenance and safety, an IS-BAO Stage Three designation and membership of the Tour Operators Program of Safety, and it claims "nearly 50 helicopters and 200+ dedicated employees" flying "a quarter million passengers each year." These are the company's own figures; elsewhere the same page says "300,000+ people" a year.

What the site leaves open

The homepage FAQ says prices "vary in price depending on departure location and tour type" and sends visitors to departure pages, so tour fares (other than the wedding packages) are not shown on the homepage. Cancellation terms sit on a separate Cancellation Policy page, and the site's general tour FAQ does not state weight or age limits for the scenic flights.

Who this suits

Papillon suits visitors in Las Vegas or at the South Rim who want a scheduled helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon or the Strip, including a canyon-floor landing from Las Vegas or Grand Canyon West, and couples looking for a helicopter wedding or proposal with a published starting price. Travelers who want a quiet, small-operator experience may find the scale of the operation less appealing.