- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Alexair Helicopters
- Hours:
Mon 7 am - 5 pm
20 reviews for Alexair Helicopters
20 reviews in English
-
Review from Alexis M.
Mill Park, Portland, OR
3/6/2012
Great service, great views and great narrative by the pilots. Pilot Nick was great and very knowledgable. Would definitely recommend Alex Air to anyone coming through Maui
-
Review from Olga K.
Salt Lake City, UT
1/13/2012
Booked the West Maui/Molokai Doors Off tour for Saturday with Alex Air for my first trip to Maui - Woo-hoo! We got there a bit late and everyone was really nice and able to accommodate that. However, once we got in the heli we were told they weren't able to get enough torque and the helicopter would be down for maintenance for the rest of the day. This was very disappointing considering that it took us an hour to drive up there from our hotel in Kaanapali Beach. However, I understand that equipment can't always be reliable so we rescheduled for Monday. When we drove out there on Monday it took a while to get us checked in but after sometime we were on the way.
The pilot was great - very knowledgeable and professional! I enjoyed the tour although wish it wasn't so overcast (if only we could have gone on that Saturday - the weather was ideal!). This was a great experience and you can't see the wonderful waterfalls of Molokai without a heli tour. Doors off is excellent for photography junkies and the only way to go. Alex Air is the only company on the island to offer the doors off tours so if that's what you're looking for then go for it, otherwise, I would recommend another less costly company. Would have given it 4 stars if Alex Air could make up for our lost time (for example, offering us the souvenir photo for free). -
Review from Anna S.
San Jose, CA
11/29/2011 2 Check-ins Here
It was difficult to locate, so we called for directions and the man on the phone was very rude. We drove an hour to get to our appointment at 8:00 a.m. only to be told our flight was canceled. Granted, we were told that could happen but how about a phone call? We rescheduled for 2 p.m. We were staying in Lahaina, so we had to find something to do for 6 hours, and had to cancel other plans... There was a young girl working there who wasn't friendly.
Then when we came back everyone's attitude had changed and it was a fresh set of staffers they were all very pleasant. The flight was nice, views were spectacular. My headset wasn't working so I could only hear every 4th word the pilot and my husband were saying.
I think for the pricing the staff should be over the top accommodating and super friendly. :/ -
Review from Meredith R.
Arlington, VA
9/6/2011
I can see the reviews are quite mixed, but I had a great experience!
My hubby and I went on a helicopter tour last June (2010) on Oahu and thought it couldn't get much better. However, I got a little air sick and was really scared to go on another one - but it was my husband's bday and I wanted to prove I wasn't a wuss.
This was the only company that I could find on Maui that did the doors off. I believe they call it the "Extreme." After calling and talking to a pilot, he suggested that we do the West Maui/Molaki tour as that it was most of the pilots' favorite. So I booked it and requested that I not be seated in the middle seat between the pilot and my husband (where I was seated last time and I did not love it).
The doors off is the ONLY way to do the helicopter tour. It was FANTASTIC! Pricey, yes, but so worth it! BTW, while on the email and website, it says to wear long sleeves and pants - they give you navy jumpsuits regardless. Wear sneakers and your sunglasses for sure.
After driving and going to Halekea and driving and hiking Hana, I can imagine that flight is beautiful, but would recommend the West Maui/Molokai as it is basically something that would be almost impossible on your own. The cliffs on Molokai are so worth it! (BTW, you can take a drive through the West Maui mountains that you aren't supposed to do in your rental car, but we did - however, we still didn't get to see all the awesomeness that we saw on our flight).
Our pilot was fabulous! We had to have our flight rescheduled due to some mechanical issues, but they were able to fit us in another morning and I was so happy I didn't use that as my "out" with my husband.
Tips:
*Wear something comfortable - I wore workout pants and a t-shirt, sneakers, and my aviators
*If you can get air sick sometimes - go first thing in the morning and request to not be seated in the front-middle seat; also, eat very light before - I had a banana and some almonds about 2 hours before; you can reward yourself with Broke Da Mouth cake and cookies after ;-)
My only complaint would be that I had to pay $20 to get a cute pic that they snapped of my hubby and I before boarding the helo - I wish dropping $550 for 2 people (book it online before you go for the special) would have been enough to get a complimentary pic. -
Review from Glenn G.
7/7/2011 30 photos
It started as an unexpected compromise, and ended as one of the high points of my trip.
I wanted to spend the day snorkeling, but I ended up doing the "Doors Off" tour of West Maui & Molokai with Alexair Helicopters. What an amazing experience! I did a conventional helicopter tour of Kauai about ten years ago, and even though Kauai from the air is probably the most beautiful of all the Hawaiian Islands, the contrast in the overall experiences was incredible. The "Doors Off" tour is to a conventional trip what mind-blowing, orgasmic sex with someone you love is to a handshake with an IRS Auditor - there's simply no comparison :-)
When the doors are off the visibility is perfect, and you're on a gentle but still thrilling roller coaster ride that lasts 45 minutes! We saw some incredible sights in Molokai including some breathtaking vistas, several very tall waterfalls, and spectacular sea cliffs - it was well worth the money spent.
Alexair's "ground crew" was friendly and efficient, and the pilot, Ariel, was capable, knowledgeable, and confidence inspiring. I recommend both the company and the experience without hesitation.
Note: A picture is worth a thousand words - once I got the hang of using my camera in some pretty high winds (our average airspeed was around 160 mph) I got some amazing pictures. Here's a link to the first of the thirty shots I uploaded: http://www.yelp.com/bi... -
Review from Jeremy G.
Cambridge, MA
7/12/2011
Beware - not nearly as good as other doors-off operators and a lot of room for improvement given their price. However they may be the only choice on Maui for photographers..
I specifically chose these guys so that I could get some great arial photography of Maui and Molokai, having flown a few times with Inter-Island Air on Kauai. Doors off is the only way to go. I did get some great pictures, but there were a number of disappointments.. If you are just looking for a fun thrill, go for it. If you want some consistent, great photos to add to your portfolio, check twice..
- Uneven pilot quality: Nick is great narration and very considerate of photographer needs, Alex is not. You want a pilot who will hang for 10-20 seconds in front of a landmark and give everyone in the helicopter time to photograph it. This did not happen on the Molokai tour with Alex and I had to ask repeatedly for him to turn around so that my side of the chopper could have a view.
- Short time in the air: Their trips were exactly 45 minutes according to the pilot's center console chronometer. As a result, it felt rushed. No time to hang in the air getting a good look at anything, just a wiz by. The pilot says "we are just about to fly over the waterfall where Jurassic Park opened" and then boom, its over. They fly out of a busy airport, so a good 10-15 minutes of the tour is spent just navigating the air pattern. That leaves 30 precious minutes to take photos.
- Route: They ought to offer a longer, full circle island tour.
- Customer Service: Generally good I suppose, but one of their dispatchers looks like she would rather be doing anything other than working there.
- Price: $300 is a lot to pay for a 45 minute helicopter ride - someone is getting fairly rich off of this operation. The operating cost per hour of a MD 500 helicopter fully seated is about $275/hr, with $20K/year in insurance and probably another 50-100K/year in maint. Lets assume their whole deal requires 1.5 M year in total fixed costs - their profit is probably 300-500 a flight. They'd provide a lot more value by either lowering their prices or extending their flight time. -
Review from Foo F.
Glendale, CA
4/19/2011
- THE EXPERIENCE: DOORLESS helicopter
$275 per person (with online special - if you book it last minute it's more expensive)
- YYYIIPPPEEE: Whales
So much cooler than any stupid whale watching tour. You actually see whales so much better from the air (if you are interested read my Hawaiian Ocean Rafting review and all will be clear).
Helicopters WITHOUT doors are way better than there doored counterparts. It's so cool to lean out and really get good unobstructed views
- BBBOOO: Totally Hawaii time
We where told to arrive at 12:45pm. And then we sat & sat & sat. Watched a complete video about "IZ" the Hawaiian singer and then started to watch it again. Normally i would have been super upset to spend $600 & then be kept waiting but its hard to get upset when u r on vacation in Hawaii but n LA this would totally not fly.
- SUMMARY: Probably my most FAVORITE thing we did the whole trip.
This was so much fun that even my mother who is uber afraid of heights loved it. You think it's gonna be super scary but it's not to crazy.
- FYI: The wind is crazy forceful up there.
Like push u back into your seat strong. So that also means that its kinda cold. They aren't joking when they advise you to wear long pants & long sleeved shirts. You don't have to but you may be uncomfortable otherwise.
Also, us long hair peps make sure you tie it back or you will come out with a crazy looking bird's nest that will be a mass of knots. -
Review from Patricia W.
Oak Harbor, OH
8/24/2011
Amazing doors off helicopter ride. I didn't even know you could go with the doors off, this was the highlight of my trip. If you do one thing do this, it's beautiful and thrilling!
-
Review from Helen F.
5/17/2010
Dear Pilot Nick:
Thank you for the scariest and most awesome 45 minutes of my life. There is no way I could've witnessed the beauty of Molokai & West Maui from the ground. The waterfalls were breathtaking & that cliff..oh boy, I think my heart briefly stopped beating.
Your soothing voice and gentle warnings almost quelled my fears about an untimely death falling out of the airplane. The last couple of "tricks" were so very awesome & made me so very glad that I didn't eat a huge lunch prior.
Love, Helen
---------
Doorless is the way to go. I can say that now because I am alive. If you're "lucky" enough to sit by the non-door...hang on tight. However, don't let you acrophobia get in the way of this one in a lifetime opportunity.
Oh and 1) don't eat a big lunch prior 2) go potty beforehand. -
Review from Ryan W.
8/1/2008
We chose AlexAir for our helo tour of Maui based on recommendations from Maui Revealed, the mostly very good, but now ubiquitous guidebook for Maui. The book does a good job of pointing out that Maui is probably not the best island to do a helo tour relative to Kauai or the Big Island, but can still be interesting. Given our experience on a helo tour o Kauai six months earlier, I'd say they are right.
We chose one of the two West Maui / Molokai tours they offer. When I called the inquire about the difference between the 50 min. tour and the 60 min. tour, the woman didn't provide any hnest advice. At least she didn't try to upsell me for the extra hundred bucks the longer tour cost.
Overall, it was a nice tour, even though I had the worst seat on the helo. The pilot seemed extremely experienced - as indicated by the very practiced / scripted tour narration she gave. The music they pipe in over the headphones is unecessary and little distracting, but is probably intended to calm nervous first-time helo passengers. I wish she would've spent a little more time exploring Molokai.
However, her narration was credible and she was a great pilot. Overall, I'd recommend if you're dying to see Maui from the air, but you may consider saving your $200 - $300 for a helo tour on Kauai or the Big Island instead. -
Review from Lauren H.
North Las Vegas, NV
8/28/2011
We actually give 4.5 stars.
During our honeymoon in Maui we thought it would be fun to do a helicopter tour. After looking at various websites we decided to go with Alexair and do their doors off tour. Not only were we able to book late notice but they also offered us a military discount. It was an unbelievable experience!
First off, Casey was our safety brief giver. She was friendly and took pictures for us before the flight.
Also, our pilot Brandon was phenomenal! Not only did he fly us around the sites but he explained the history on them and lots of other fun facts about the island in general. We were able to take amazing pictures of waterfalls, mountains, and the coastline. The ride itself was smooth and exciting.
We definitely would recommend Alexair for helicopter tours in Maui. -
Review from Charlene S.
Torrance, CA
5/5/2010
A must do if you want to see the beautiful sea cliffs of Moloka'i. I wasn't super excited for a helicopter ride because I wasn't too impressed with the idea of just looking at things and flying around until I went on the West Maui/Moloka'i tour.
We took a day trip to Moloka'i by taking the ferry and renting a car to drive around but the beauty of Moloka'i wasn't appreciated until I saw them from the skyview. So save yourself the rocky, stomach churning, ferry ride which made half of our party sea-sick, just fly around Moloka'i!
All the employees were really friendly. They took our picture and gave us a set of 2-3 pictures for $15/set. Jeanette was our pilot and she was extremely knowledgeable. I would recommend this company and the Moloka'i tour to everyone. -
Review from Bill O.
Half Moon Bay, CA
11/7/2009
NOT a big fan of the touristy helicopter rides that blanket all the islands of Hawaii. There are a few exceptions:
- Kilauea from the air is NOT to be missed (big island)
- Inter-Island Helicopters in Kauai - open door, they have their own lagoon, a great experience.
And now, I have to add Alex Air. Like Inter-Island, they have a Hughes 500 open door, and offer two tours - West Maui/Molokai, and Hana. I did the first, and it was truly a GREAT experience. Loaded with my two cameras (one with an 18-200 VR, the other with an 80-400 VR, I captured some fantastic HUGE waterfalls I'd never have seen otherwise (and certainly couldn't shoot in a typical tourist helicopter). Cruising over to Molokai, being able to lean out a bit and shoot down to capture the reef system is another example of why open door is the ONLY way to go.
Always felt safe, and the pilot was great (and provided full narration).
Biggest kick was looking over at the wife with this HUUUUUUUGE grin on her face the entire time.
Definitely recommended to do at least once. Definitely DON'T recommend any other helicopter tour in Maui (or any of the other islands, other than doing the Kilauea thing). -
Review from Kristin K.
Los Angeles, CA
10/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
We did the no-doors helicopter tour. I was a little scared but it ended up being great. We weren't able to see the crater that day because of high winds and that was just fine with me. Our pilot took us to many waterfalls and sea cliffs and it was a beautiful ride. Very professional staff. Would go again when the weather is more cooperative to see the crater.
-
Review from Mary T.
Knoxville, TN
7/18/2009 2 photos
This was by far the coolest thing I have ever done! We rode in a helicopter without the doors. Seriously if you can stomach it, DO IT!!! I took around 150 pictures and a couple of videos in a 40 minute helicopter ride.
To start our helicopter journey off we were told before we arrived that our sunglasses and cameras had to be around our necks so they wouldn't fall out of the helicopter. Go by Long's or Safeway and spend a few bucks for that. We arrived around 10:00am and our helicopter flight was to leave around 11:00am. We were told that the tour we had chosen, the Haleakala Crater and the Road to Hana, was going to be extremely cloudy and we might not see anything. Our helicopter pilot Jean, a native Hawaiian, recommended a different tour. She recommended we see the Iao Valley (where the beginning of Jurassic Park was filmed), and go to the island Molokai. She basically upgraded us to a better tour. Everything we saw was amazing. There were 4 of us in the helicopter total that is including our helicopter pilot. She was amazing and knew everything there was to know about Hawaii. The things you see in the ride are truly unbelievable to your eyes.
If I could recommend one thing anyone does when they go to Hawaii, especially for the first time, is to do a helicopter tour! If you can, do it without the doors. I promise it's worth it. I was scared at first but talk about a rush. You will have memories forever and pictures for a lifetime and believe me you won't be able to stop talking about it! I still can't. Also, you get to wear jumpsuits and headsets so you will feel like you were in a scene from the movie Top Gun.
Hope you enjoy the ride! It's a fun one! Cheers! -
Review from Chris L.
Cary, NC
10/14/2009
My wife and I decided to do something different on our honeymoon trip to Maui. Both of us have been to the islands multiple times. After doing a little research on Yelp and other sources we chose Alexair. Things started off very well which would be a harbinger for the rest of the experience. It was Tuesday mid-morning and we chose the "S-4" flight which was West Maui and Molokai. We were hoping to get out sometime that day. The guy who answered the phone told us they had a flight leaving at 1 but it was the "DO-4" which is also West Maui and Molokai. It was the same amount of time, same tour, and the "DO-4" was $40 more expensive. Why was it $40 more you may ask. Well, that's because for the DO-4 flight they take the doors off the helicopter!!!! And if you're wondering if flying in a helicopter around Hawaii with the doors off is as bitchin as it sounds, it sure as hell is. Plus, they only charged us for the cheaper, doors on S-4 flight. It became clear when we arrived at the airport (Kahului) that another couple had paid for the DO-4 and they just needed to fill the helicopter with another couple so we scored!
Neither of us had been in a helicopter before and my wife is scared of heights and the small planes that I fly for fun. So I was a little concerned she might not enjoy the experience. But I gave her a little helper to calm her nerves, she sat up front next to the pilot which allowed her to see straight out, and it was a smooth ride. The pilot was great (Mike) and we saw parts of the islands (especially Molokai) that can only be seen by chopper. Hands down, the best part was cresting over the sea cliffs (2,000+ feet) on the north side of Molokai and looking straight down at the blue ocean. It was unreal. There were also some insane water falls there.
As other reviewers stated, they do pipe in music over the headset BUT it's decent music, the pilot talks over it anyway, and you can turn down the volume if you don't like it. Plus helicopters are loud as crap so it was nice to have something to block out the drone, especially over the Molokai Channel when there wasn't much to see or talk about. It was not a distraction at all and if they didn't have it, I would have wished they did.
With tax and tip ($20 total and it's optional but Mike deserved it) it cost us $400 for this adventure. There was zero pressure to buy any lame-ass DVD's or anything else. Everyone at Alexair was friendly, laid-back (of course), and professional. It's not something I'm going to do every time I come to HI but it was definitely one of the best things I've ever done on the islands. Skip an over-priced Lahaina dinner or two and apply the funds to a helicopter tour, you won't regret it. -
Review from Keeli K.
Seattle, WA
9/28/2010
I have to start by saying that after reading all of the wonderful reviews, I was extremely excited to go on the doors off helicopter ride with Alex Air in West Maui. I planned to give the ride as a gift to my boyfriend for his 30th birthday, and we were thrilled. However, the experience was far worse than could have been anticipated.
We had to drive over 45 minutes there only to find that they had canceled our flight due to questionable weather. While we completely understand that the weather is out of the company's control, Alex Air did not provide a courtesy phone call to give us a head's up- especially because they had been canceling flights since 8 AM and our flight was not until 11 AM. Also considering that we talked to Pam at the front desk at 8 AM to schedule our flight, and she never mentioned the potential weather concern or possibility of the cancellation since all of the other flights that day had already been canceled. Then, when we arrived, a simple apology would have been nice; however, we got nothing but a smug response. We asked to reschedule and they said that the only available time was the next day at 8 AM.
Therefore, we began our 45 minute drive back to Alex Air the following day and ran into some traffic while in route. We called to let Alex Air know that we would be exactly 12 minutes late per Garmin since we were two of four scheduled for the 8 AM flight. We were also told by Pam the previous day that we had a 15 minute grace period. Alex Air told us that they refused to wait the 12 minutes contrary to the grace period and when we explained how they had treated us so poorly the day before they were extremely rude and put us on "hold". Little did they realize that their "hold" was actually speaker phone, and we heard all of the ugly remarks about us- saying that they were going to tell us to come anyways so that they would have to drive the 190 minutes round trip only to find that when we got there we would be put on the less ideal 6 person/doors on flight to another location, etc. etc. We hung up and called them back and let them know that we were actually listening for 20 minutes on hold essentially while they were bad mouthing us. We also found out that there was actually a 2 PM flight that they could have put us on, but they didn't do it.
It was honestly the worst customer experience both of us have received ever before. I was shocked that a company would treat people this poorly. It was amazing to me that they followed up with me probably 4-5 times to book the trip, and once they had us secured they wouldn't follow through to complete the transaction.
I am sure that the pilot is nice and the ride is beautiful, but I am shocked that a company can stay in business when their customer service is so poor. -
Review from Jon T.
San Francisco, CA
10/3/2010
I did the no door helicopter ride over West Maui and Molokai, and it was the highlight of my visit to Maui.
-
Review from Mimi D.
9/19/2010
Doors off is the only way to go. It's such a rush to have the adrenaline rushing through your veins, the air whipping through your hair and across your face and not have that lame glass glare in all of your photos. Don't worry! You are totally strapped in roller coaster style, it feels totally safe, and the pilot Nick is the BEST air tour guide. For all of you SO CAL tourists, Nick is from LA - he did heli news for us for years!! We took the West Maui / Molokai tour and booked it through Expedia travel (located in almost every hotel lobby) and saved $80 off the price that was on the posted on the Alexair website. Casey was our pre-flight guide, expertly instructing us on how to put our flight suits (Top Gun style) on, how to use the life vest and headsets, and where the vomit bags were. If you are the type to get motion sick (like me) you won't have this issue with the doors off. I got really sick with the doors on, but did not have this issue with the doors off. We saw amazingly lush wild untamed waterfalls, magnificently beautiful sea cliffs, and the lightest blue waters - in many areas you can see the reef below. We passed over hundreds of kite surfers and a rock formation that looked like a swimming turtle. The door off helicopter ride was the most exciting thing you can do on this island and I got amazing, amazing photos. It's a memory of a lifetime.
-
Review from Anna S.
San Francisco, CA
11/19/2008
My friend and I went on the one hour circle the island tour. I was a little anxious at first because I occassionally get motion sickness but I have to say the pilot was really good and I did not feel any dizziness or nausea at all. It is my first time to ride a helicopter so I was really trying to experience the take-off and landing. Although I had the front, middle seat right next to the pilot, it was not comfortable at all. In fact, the pilot kept telling me to scoot over so he could drive but where was I to scoot if there was no more room as there was another lady to my right. There was 4 of us passengers and one pilot. They assign your seat depending on your weight. I was so uncomfortable, my muscles were tensed up just from being squished in between and afraid to hit the pilot or the controls which were right next to me. I had my elbows and arms infront of my body the whole time and that is to say the lady next to me was not even a huge or fat lady. My view was also slightly obstructed because of the controls in front of me.
It was hard to hear or talk so most of us stayed quiet the whole time. The music was also unecessary because of the noise. The tour was great. It was great to see the island from the top. We were lazy to drive to Hana so we got to see the view of all the waterfalls along the way. Not much narration on our ride but the view was great. The helicopter is ideal for 4 persons but with gas prices, they squeezed in another. If it is your first time and are willing to shell the money, go for it!
