Coupons for Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours
Are as Extinct as Dodo Birds,
8-Track Tapes, and Rotary Dial Telephones.
(It’s time to abandon the dream that there will be an avalanche of promos making tour prices cheaper than a two-person grocery bill.)
Lately, I've been getting a lot of inquiries about coupons that could bring the price of Grand Canyon helicopter tours back to pre-pandemic levels. I wish that were the case, but I honestly have no idea where travelers are getting this idea. It’s completely far-fetched..
Playing Field has Changed
Inflation has hit our industry hard. Pilot wages have skyrocketed, along with the costs of fuel, parts, and general operations. Picture this: back in 2019, we had double the fleet we do now. We even had helicopters stationed in Page, AZ. Pilots were flooding us with resumes, eager to complete 1,000 hours of training just to get a seat in the cabin. The same was true for mechanics.
Fast forward to today, and it’s the complete opposite, with prices rising accordingly. In fact, I used to joke that we were on the verge of seeing a $1,000 helicopter tour—and we nearly did. The Las Vegas to South Rim tour with a helicopter and the Top, Bottom, Boat, and Skywalk (aka the 4-in-1) tour both crept into the mid-$900s. Crazy, but that’s just the reality these days.
Thank goodness inflation is cooling, supply chains are healing, and hiring is picking up. This is reflected in our prices. I just sent out an alert to my email subscribers about price drops on several tours: the bottom-landing picnic tour (economy), the bottom-landing picnic sunset tour (deluxe), and the air-only helicopter tour (economy). I anticipate more price drops in the coming weeks, especially as we approach the seasonal fall and winter price dips.
The last coupon holdout was for the front-seat upgrade. I fought like crazy to keep it, but we lost it last week. For those of you who already received this coupon, it will still be honored. But please don’t email me asking for one if you missed out—it’ll be denied at check-in anyway. That said, I can still flag your ticket for a front-seat request (maximum of 2) and add a "special" note to your reservation. While this doesn’t guarantee anything, it does slightly improve your chances of sitting up front next to the pilot.
Keep It Simple
Remember, front seats are never guaranteed. If another booking agent promises they are, run for the exits. I’d question whether any part of that transaction is trustworthy. The truth is, no one knows who will sit up front until check-in, when we assess who’s flying and the total weight of all passengers. I wouldn’t overthink it, and I certainly wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Stick to what works—make the request and reach out to me to tag your booking with notes.
Believe it or not, years ago we had 10% and 20% off promo coupons. It was during the heyday of helicopter tours when we were competing with a handful of other companies for the attention of Vegas travelers. The number of tourists grew from 20 million a year in the late 90s to over 42 million by 2019. That’s a lot of potential customers, and the industry was thriving. But then COVID hit in 2020, and several helicopter companies went out of business, while others merged. Promos became practically sacrilegious.
I don’t foresee coupons making a comeback anytime soon—maybe not for years, if ever. However, there’s still a tried-and-true way to save money that *does* work! It’s simple: 1) Book online, and 2) Buy your tickets weeks in advance. It seems straightforward, yet so few people do it. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s human nature not to plan ahead, or perhaps there’s still so much "pandemic money" floating around that nobody’s worried about price. Whatever the reason, change is in the air. The average RSVP is now up to two weeks in advance. Sanity, it seems, is prevailing.
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Make it a GRAND day!
