Air Kauai: Ohana (doors-ON) Helicopter Tour

Absolutely not customer-oriented!

We are extremely disappointed with our experience with Air Kauai Helicopters. What was supposed to be one of the highlights of our family trip turned into a frustrating and completely unnecessary situation. We booked for four family members. One person weighs approximately 255 lbs, while the other three weigh only about 147 lbs each. Despite this, Air Kauai Helicopters tried to make us purchase an additional seat because of the weight of that one passenger. What makes this especially frustrating is that, in our understanding, this is simply NOT what their published terms and conditions communicate. Their policy clearly distinguishes between the weight requirement for an individual passenger and the combined/average weight requirements for couples or multiple travelers. According to the conditions we were given, couples or multiple passengers may have a combined weight of up to 420 lbs, with an average weight not exceeding 200 lbs per person. Our family’s total weight is approximately 696 lbs for four people — an average of only 174 lbs per person! Yet we were still told that we needed to PAY FOR AN EXTRA SEAT. When we refused to accept this interpretation and pay for an additional seat, our booking was cancelled. This feels incredibly misleading and, from a customer’s perspective, like an attempt to squeeze additional money out of a family after the booking has already been made. If your actual policy is that EVERY passenger above a certain individual weight must automatically purchase an additional seat regardless of the weight of the rest of the group, then SAY THAT CLEARLY before customers book and pay! Do not publish conditions that reasonably create a different expectation and then confront customers with additional charges afterwards. We had been genuinely excited about this helicopter tour and were prepared to spend a significant amount of money on this experience. Instead, we were left frustrated, disappointed and with the impression that customer service comes second to extracting an additional seat charge. Absolutely not the way customers should be treated. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend Air Kauai Helicopters. ⭐

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. I certainly understand your frustration, and I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience you may have experienced regarding the certain requirements for your flight. I would first like to clarify that your reservation was made through viator for our Doors-Off flight, which has different weight restrictions than our Doors-On tour. As stated on Viator under the Doors-Off experience, "Any Passenger over 250 lbs regardless of the combined passenger weight, is required to purchase an additional seat." This requirement is in place for safety and proper aircraft weight and balance. We again apologize for any confusion or frustration this may have caused, but the additional comfort seat was required based on the published requirements for the Doors-Off flight you booked. Thank you for your understanding.

via Tripadvisor

Soaring Over Kauai

My friends and I had a wonderful experience flying over Kauai with our pilot, Steve, along with just two other passengers, which made for the perfect group size. It was my first visit to the island and my very first helicopter ride, and I can honestly say it was worth every penny.From check-in to check-out, the entire experience took about 2–3 hours, with the helicopter flight lasting a little over 45 minutes. Somehow, it felt even longer—in the best possible way—because I was so captivated by the experience. In my opinion, this tour was money very well spent. Seeing Kauai from above allowed me to experience breathtaking parts of the island that I never would have seen otherwise. Steve was an outstanding pilot and an even better storyteller. He immediately made everyone feel comfortable, took the time to refer to each passenger by their first name, and created a warm, personal atmosphere throughout the flight. One of the passengers was celebrating his birthday, and Steve went out of his way to make the experience even more memorable for him. The entire team at Air Kauai helped make my first helicopter ride truly special. The office and helicopter were spotless, and the staff—Julian, Kiana, and Elena—were courteous, welcoming, and friendly from beginning to end. Thank you, Air Kauai, for an unforgettable experience! I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Kauai. It was truly one of the highlights of my trip.

via Tripadvisor

fun day seeing kauai

had a fun time with air k and doing kauai doors on.

via Tripadvisor

ABSOLUTELY DO THIS!!!

The entire experience was excellent from the beginning. Every staff member was genuinely happy and loved their job and each other. Our pilot, Adam, blew all of our expectations out the window! He was so knowledgeable about the island, his skills were beyond exceptional and I cannot begin to recommend this experience enough!! We got to see the entire island, also a tiger shark!, and the waterfalls were like something in Avatar. Thank you all for this wonderful experience. Literally in the top 3 experiences of my life!!

via Tripadvisor

Great experience no video

As amazing as the experience was the cameras wouldn’t work or were real blurry. We put the phones down and figured we would just pay for the footage. This didn’t work out and the best experience is now just a memory rather than a video

via Viator