Booking
There is no single tour heliport in Los Angeles. Flights leave from half a dozen general-aviation airfields spread across the county, and the most common booking mistake people make is not the flight they chose but the drive they did not check.
Quick answer
Book two to three weeks ahead, confirm which airfield you are flying from before you pay, and arrive forty-five minutes early. Every helicopter ride Los Angeles operators sell here includes a public weigh-in, a photo-ID check and a safety briefing. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure applies to most listings on this page, and weather cancellations by the operator are refunded or rebooked.
Which airfield
Van Nuys and Burbank for the Sign, the South Bay for the coast.
Van Nuys. In the San Fernando Valley, north of the hills, and one of the busiest general-aviation airports in the world. Closest to the Hollywood Sign of the main tour bases — you are over Mount Lee within a few minutes of lifting.
Hollywood Burbank. Also in the valley, also close to the Sign, and easier to reach from Pasadena and the east side. Commercial airport, so allow for the traffic around it.
Long Beach and Torrance. Down in the South Bay. Excellent for coastal routes and the harbour, a long way from Hollywood. A ten-minute flight from here does not reach the Sign, which is exactly the trap.
Fullerton. In Orange County. Fine if you are staying in Anaheim, an hour and a quarter from Santa Monica in traffic.
Match the airfield to the route and to your hotel. A cheap helicopter ride Los Angeles listing that leaves from the wrong end of the county costs you an afternoon.
What happens at check-in
Nothing here is unusual. All of it surprises people who have not flown before.
Matched to the booking name. Bring it even for a domestic sightseeing flight.
On a scale, in front of the counter. The pilot needs real numbers to balance the aircraft and to calculate fuel.
Decided by weight, not by who asked first — though asking politely for the front left seat at this moment is how people get it.
Hats, scarves and anything that can leave your hand go in a locker. Phones are allowed and wrist straps are a good idea.
Headsets, seatbelts, doors, and the exits. Five to ten minutes.
Ducking, escorted, from the side and never from behind. Follow the marshaller exactly.
Book direct
The four that go first: the best-rated helicopter ride Los Angeles by day, the cheapest, the night flight and the coastline.
★ 4.9 · 916 reviews
★ 4.6 · 127 reviews
★ 4.9 · 91 reviews
★ 4.9 · 60 reviews
What sells out, and when
Sunsets, weekends and the Christmas fortnight.
Sunset slots, always. They are the smallest inventory on any Los Angeles operator and they go first in every month of the year. If you want the light, book further ahead than you think you need to.
The $199 flight on weekends. It is the volume listing on this page and Saturday mornings disappear a fortnight out.
Everything between Christmas and New Year. Clear winter air, visitors in town and a short flying day. That fortnight is the tightest of the year.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure applies to most listings here.
When to fly→Common questions
Two to three weeks for a normal slot. Longer for sunset, for weekends, and for anything between Christmas and New Year.
Van Nuys and Hollywood Burbank in the valley, Long Beach and Torrance in the South Bay, and Fullerton in Orange County. Check which one before you book — the drive between them can be over an hour.
Yes. Every passenger is weighed at check-in, and passengers over roughly 250 lb are usually asked to buy a second seat. Thresholds vary by operator and aircraft.
Most listings on this page offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. If the operator cancels for weather you are refunded or rebooked.
Yes, usually from age two to four depending on the operator, and they occupy a full paid seat because the aircraft is balanced by weight.
Ask at check-in, and check in early. It is assigned by weight and balance first and by who asked second, so both matter.
You do not have to, but walking up to the counter at Burbank on a Saturday is how people end up watching the flight they wanted take off without them.
Reading a listing properly
Airfield, flight time, cancellation window, minimum numbers.
The departure point. Sometimes it is a line of small print rather than a heading. Every helicopter ride Los Angeles listing on this page names its airfield, and that name is the difference between a twenty-minute drive and an hour and a quarter.
The flight time against the total time. Some listings quote ninety minutes and fly for sixty. Both numbers are honest and only one of them is the flight.
The cancellation window. Usually 24 hours on a helicopter ride Los Angeles booking, occasionally 48, and non-refundable on a couple of the private charters.
The minimum numbers. A few shared rotations need two passengers to run. If you are travelling alone, check before you plan the day around it.
What to bring, and what to leave
The cabin is small and the rules exist because things have blown out of it.
In the booking name. Required on every helicopter ride Los Angeles departure here.
Allowed and encouraged. Loose in the hand is how they get dropped.
The glare off the basin at midday is considerable.
Cabins are heated but the airfield at eight in the morning is not.
Anything that can leave your head goes in a locker before you walk out.
Weight and balance. Take a pocket, not a rucksack.
Go deeper
From $159 for ten minutes, and what the hour buys.
The SignNo road, no public access. Why the air is the only front-on view.
The verdictFourteen listings, and the four worth your money.
At nightTwo listings, and a completely different city underneath.
DowntownThe towers, the stadiums and the basin they stand on.
PrivateFrom $640 for the aircraft, and when it works.
Hollywood & Beverly Hills Celebrity Helicopter Tour
★ 4.9 · 646 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h