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Wings over Kauai vs Air Ventures


dalgirl
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I have read the reviews here and visited Trip Advisor - and I am ready to book my flight online. I know Wings is #1 and Air Ventures #3, so I assume that service and flights are very similar. Both have a base internet booking charge that is the same.

 

Looking at the reservation forms for each is appears that Air Ventures charges additional tax and fuel charges, while Wings includes these charges in the price - is that correct?

 

And Air Ventures includes a free DVD - has anyone gotten this and do you think it is worth paying the extra fuel and tax charges?

 

Thanks!

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I have read the reviews here and visited Trip Advisor - and I am ready to book my flight online. I know Wings is #1 and Air Ventures #3, so I assume that service and flights are very similar. Both have a base internet booking charge that is the same.

 

Looking at the reservation forms for each is appears that Air Ventures charges additional tax and fuel charges, while Wings includes these charges in the price - is that correct?

 

And Air Ventures includes a free DVD - has anyone gotten this and do you think it is worth paying the extra fuel and tax charges?

 

Thanks!

We used Air Ventures when we were there several weeks ago, and I recommend them highly. I looked back at our information, and we paid $250 for 2 of us by booking online, which was a $22 discount instead of calling them to book. I see what you're talking about regarding fuel and tax, but if we were charged that, it was already included in the $250. Enjoy!

 

Doug

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We used Wings over Kauai for their Grand Duluxe Air Tour a couple of weeks ago. It was $125.00 plus tax per person which we paid when we got there. There were 4 of us on the flight. They picked us up close to the pier to take us to the airport and returned us to the pickup place. They would have dropped us off someplace else or back to the pier if we had wanted. They did give us a free video with our picture, but the video was not of our flight. The pilot attached a movie camera to the wing and said they were beta testing taking video of the flight that would be available for purchase in the future. Our pilot was Josh and he gave a great tour commentary. There was a two-way intercom so we could communicate with him. We had an perfect day for the flight.

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Thank you both for the replies. It seems that charging the tax and fuel surcharge is a "hit or miss." I know that Wings over Kauai states on their website that there are no other charges and they are listed as number one on tripadvisor. Both companies have very good reputations so I guess we will go with Wings. No sense in paying more for what seems to be the same tour.

 

Thanks again!

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You may be overthinking the choice between Wings over Kauai (WOK) and Air Ventures (AV). My family recently flew with Air Ventures. I cannot tell you that it is "better," because I did not fly with WOK. I seriously doubt that many have.

 

Both vendors will pick you up at a shopping area near the pier in Nawilliwilli. The check in counters for each vendor are literally adjacent to each other. Given that the planes are flying over the same sites for pretty much the same length of time, I suspect the tours are far more alike than different.

 

Why did we choose AV ove WOK ? Very simple...I needed 7 seats. Since the planes cannot handle 7 pax plus pilot, this meant 2 flights. AV was able to accommodate my needs on back-to-back flights that would get everyone back in time for departure on POA. Had WOK been able to accommodate me, I would have been fine with them.

 

Yes, we received the DVD of a flight. It is a perfectly fine recording of a generic flight. This will be true of either vendor.

 

I will note that we received excellent and considerate service from the folks at AV. I have no reason to believe that WOK would be any different.

 

Pick the tour that fits your schedule. You will enjoy either one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I booked Wings over Kauai as a private charter on our upcoming cruise, which they will do if you have at least four in your party. You can then add up to two more as long as you're under there weight limit. Both operators use the G8 AirVan, so I would expect, as Darthdaddy already indicated, the experience would be very similiar.

 

I wasn't aware of the "Generic Flight" DVD video, was that included or extra ? If extra, how much ? Was one DVD provided per couple, or just one for the group ?

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  • 3 weeks later...

We received one video for our family. I suppose I could have insisted on two, since we were actually booked on two flights. Honestly, I never even thought about it.

 

By "generic" I mean that the video is not taken on the same flight that you are on. Rather, it is a video of the same flight path, i.e., clockwise around the island over all the same sites and physical features. This is a very reasonable way for the companies to handle it. You don't want the pilot unleasing his inner Demille while simultaneously flying the plane. Sending someone to record each flight would be a LOT of lost revenue.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We have just returned from our Hawaiian cruise and we really enjoyed our excursion in Kaua’i. We opted for a plane ride through Waimea Canyon and around Napali Coast with Wings Over Kauai, versus a helicopter ride, and we made the right decision. As I said, we flew with Wings Over Kauai and this family run company made all the difference to the enjoyment of our visit. It was their attention to the details that enhanced the quality of the tour. Ellen organizes the tours and personally responds to your emails, queries in a timely and friendly manner. She ensures that the time slot is best for you and your family/group. Moreover, I mixed up the dates and the time slots and she worked extra hard to fix my mistakes and made it seem like no trouble at all. While on the flight the quality of the headsets made the real difference for me. They were comfortable, I could hear the pilots commentary and they cancelled any engine noise which can be load and uncomfortable during an hour long flight. Bruce, the pilot, personalized the tour and commentary based on our interests and it never felt like a cookie cutter tour. We felt like he was enjoying himself too and that somehow made it feel special for us. They took our picture with their camera and our camera and then made us a DVD that they gave to us. They didn’t try and sell us anything before or after. We have never been given a DVD for free. Instead, we have always been “offered a way to capture our experience” at a hefty price. Whether you are visiting for a day or a week I would take the time to contact Wings Over Kauai and take a tour of the island from a bird’s eye view. The price for two of us was $234 total no hidden or extra charges.

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  • 6 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
We have just returned from our Hawaiian cruise and we really enjoyed our excursion in Kaua’i. We opted for a plane ride through Waimea Canyon and around Napali Coast with Wings Over Kauai, versus a helicopter ride, and we made the right decision. As I said, we flew with Wings Over Kauai and this family run company made all the difference to the enjoyment of our visit. It was their attention to the details that enhanced the quality of the tour. Ellen organizes the tours and personally responds to your emails, queries in a timely and friendly manner. She ensures that the time slot is best for you and your family/group. Moreover, I mixed up the dates and the time slots and she worked extra hard to fix my mistakes and made it seem like no trouble at all. While on the flight the quality of the headsets made the real difference for me. They were comfortable, I could hear the pilots commentary and they cancelled any engine noise which can be load and uncomfortable during an hour long flight. Bruce, the pilot, personalized the tour and commentary based on our interests and it never felt like a cookie cutter tour. We felt like he was enjoying himself too and that somehow made it feel special for us. They took our picture with their camera and our camera and then made us a DVD that they gave to us. They didn’t try and sell us anything before or after. We have never been given a DVD for free. Instead, we have always been “offered a way to capture our experience” at a hefty price. Whether you are visiting for a day or a week I would take the time to contact Wings Over Kauai and take a tour of the island from a bird’s eye view. The price for two of us was $234 total no hidden or extra charges.

 

 

We couldn't agree with you more! The price was great and the tour was exceptional. We did receive the "generic" video after the flight. We will book them again on our next cruise to Hawaii!

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I was researching Wings Over Kauai and came across the question above. Can anyone answer this? Thanks.

 

When a helicopter's motor quits, it down, down and - - - -! When a small airplane's engine quits, it's a matter of gliding to the beach or road below. At least that is my perception. Plus on the G8, every seat is a window seat with no middle seats inbetween other people.

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  • 1 year later...
Wondering what are the pros and cons of a plane vs a heli for this type of tour? Thanks for any input. Marilyn

 

I flew with Wings Over Kauai in September... during our flight, we saw a tour helicopter on the ground next to a taro field. The pilot experienced a mechanical problem and had to "auto-rotate" to set it down. The tour passengers had to wait for a car to pick them up and take them back to the airport.

 

My pilot (Josh) and I talked about the primary difference between an airplane and a helicopter... an airplane "wants" to fly; you have to "make" a helicopter fly.

 

I highly recommend Wings Over Kauai... and I purchased the DVD from my flight for an additional $40.00. In addition to the flight footage, which by the way was very well edited, our conversations were also recorded. I totally feel I got my money's worth.

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My pilot (Josh) and I talked about the primary difference between an airplane and a helicopter... an airplane "wants" to fly; you have to "make" a helicopter fly.

 

 

I think you have to make both of them fly if you want to get off the ground.;)

 

The biggest difference that I've found between the two is that a helicopter can move over an area much more slowly, giving you more time to view an area, hover, move up and down and 'turn on a dime'. In a canyon, it's hard to beat being in a helicopter with it's vertical movement and 360 degree rotation.

 

Both are exciting and definitely worth doing one or the other on Kauai!

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We have just returned from our Hawaiian cruise and we really enjoyed our excursion in Kaua’i. We opted for a plane ride through Waimea Canyon and around Napali Coast with Wings Over Kauai, versus a helicopter ride, and we made the right decision. As I said, we flew with Wings Over Kauai and this family run company made all the difference to the enjoyment of our visit. It was their attention to the details that enhanced the quality of the tour. Ellen organizes the tours and personally responds to your emails, queries in a timely and friendly manner. She ensures that the time slot is best for you and your family/group. Moreover, I mixed up the dates and the time slots and she worked extra hard to fix my mistakes and made it seem like no trouble at all. While on the flight the quality of the headsets made the real difference for me. They were comfortable, I could hear the pilots commentary and they cancelled any engine noise which can be load and uncomfortable during an hour long flight. Bruce, the pilot, personalized the tour and commentary based on our interests and it never felt like a cookie cutter tour. We felt like he was enjoying himself too and that somehow made it feel special for us. They took our picture with their camera and our camera and then made us a DVD that they gave to us. They didn’t try and sell us anything before or after. We have never been given a DVD for free. Instead, we have always been “offered a way to capture our experience” at a hefty price. Whether you are visiting for a day or a week I would take the time to contact Wings Over Kauai and take a tour of the island from a bird’s eye view. The price for two of us was $234 total no hidden or extra charges.

 

Totally agree. Wings Over Kauai is a first class operation.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Wondering what are the pros and cons of a plane vs a heli for this type of tour? Thanks for any input. Marilyn

 

I read this on another post and have been considering a helicopter tour as a result. Should I rethink this?

 

"

There are some pretty big differences between airplane and helicopter tours on Kauai. Both have their merits. Helicopters can go as low as 500' above the ground on a tour. Airplanes have an altitude restriction of 1500' above the ground. This difference is huge in the Waimea Canyon, theHanalei and Hanapepe Vallies, and Na Pali. Airplanes are good if you don't have the money to spend for the helicopter. All airplanes and most helicopters have windows that can make photography challenging. Some helicopters (Jack Harter) fly without the doors on their Hughes 500 helicopters.

Short Helicopter tours over Kauai that are less than 60 minutes are going to fly faster over the island. The faster they fly, the higher they stay and they can not make as many turns during their flight, because turns = time."

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I read this on another post and have been considering a helicopter tour as a result. Should I rethink this?

 

Do you mean, should you rethink the heli tour and choose an airplane tour instead? There wasn't anything in that quote that favoured an airplane tour over a heli tour.

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Do you mean, should you rethink the heli tour and choose an airplane tour instead? There wasn't anything in that quote that favoured an airplane tour over a heli tour.

 

We are considering a heli tour but it appears many posting here have favored an airplane over a helicopter...I was asking if I should reconsider my position on the helicopter being the better way to view Kauai?

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Most of the posters here chose an airplane tour over a heli tour and I don't think any of them mention also doing a heli tour. If they were able to give you a comparison of the two based on their experience with doing both, and then said that an airplane tour is better, I would rethink it. Otherwise, I would go with what you think you would enjoy more.

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I think for many of us it came down to price. I have actually done several helicopter tours along with small plane and even a float plane in Alaska, they were all wonderful. The plane in Kauai was excellent. If either will work for you and/or cost is a factor, go with the plane. If you have your heart set on going up in a helicopter, then do that. You'll have a wonderful time no matter what you do.

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We are considering a heli tour but it appears many posting here have favored an airplane over a helicopter...I was asking if I should reconsider my position on the helicopter being the better way to view Kauai?

 

 

We did Blue Hawaiian helicopters in Kauai this past August and it was fantastic, the highlight of our entire trip. Definitely one of the top 2 excursions we have ever done, anywhere.

 

If you read the posts from people who have done the airplane tours, they most always mention how much $$ they saved over a heli tour. In all fairness, I have never done the plane tour, so I honestly can't compare the two ( and usually neither can those who do the plane ), but I CAN tell you that when we were in those mountain canyons and so close to the walls you felt you could practically reach out and touch them, and dropping down inside the inside of an extinct crater, there were NO airplanes anywhere to be seen anywhere on our tour.

 

I don't think there is any way a plane ride can compare to the experience you would get on a 'copter due to their ability to hover, drop and make tight turns. If you can afford it, do the 'copter. It is a once in a lifetime you will never forget.

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