Winter’s almost over, and it’s time to start thinking about 2013’s upcoming Grand Canyon air tours. After doing a little research, I’m convinced that a lot of great tours are in the works.

Grand Canyon plane tours fly out of Vegas and from Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCA) in Tusayan, Arizona, just outside the National Park’s main gates. Flights originating at GCA make a beeline for the South Rim, while Vegas flights head to the West Rim. Currently, there aren’t any rim-to-rim flights.

South Rim air tours come in two types: one type consists of an exciting flight, while the other type does that too, but adds an all-day smooth-water rafting trip down the Colorado River. The flight treats you to spectacular aerial views of South Rim highlights, just a few of which are:

The South, North and East Rims

The incredible Painted Desert

Imperial Point

Zuni Point

The Colorado Confluence

The river rafting trip is pretty amazing too. The basic rafting package involves riding a bus to Glen Canyon Dam, then boarding a pontoon boat for a 15-mile glide down the Colorado. An upgraded package has you flying to the dam on a VistaLiner plane and includes a 4×4 Jeep ride to fantastic Antelope Canyon. It doesn’t get much better than that!

West Rim airplane tours come in two types too: air-only and landing tours. An air-only flight on a Grand Canyon airplane would be terrific for someone who doesn’t have much time or just wants to get a quick taste of the canyon. Landing tours are best for people who want a more comprehensive experience and have more time to enjoy the canyon.

If you choose a landing flight on a Grand Canyon airplane, you’ll fly over Hoover Dam and scenic Lake Mead before touching down at Grand Canyon West Airport. Once you land, you’ll have plenty of time (usually around three hours) to check out these West Rim points of interest:

Guano Point (the “Bat Cave”)

The Indian Cultural Center

Hualapai Ranch

Eagle Point

One of the most popular West Rim air tours is the package that includes passes to the fabulous Grand Canyon Skywalk. This is the amazing place where you can walk out 70 feet past the canyon’s edge and stand 4,000 feet above the bottom! It’s the largest glass cantilever bridge on the planet!

Right now, what really has me eager to head to the canyon is what I would call the ultimate Grand Canyon airplane package: it includes Skywalk access and everything in the basic landing tour, but adds a thrilling chopper flight down to the canyon floor and a float trip down the Colorado.

Personally, I think this particular package is the best of the best. Not many people can say they’ve done all those things!

Starting in March and running through the end of summer, Grand Canyon flights usually sell out pretty quickly. That’s why I always urge people to book at least a week before the flight date they want – the more the better as far as lead time is concerned.

I also urge everyone to book their flights online – that’s where the best deals always are. Book your tickets on the tour company’s own website and you won’t be disappointed. If (but only if) you complete your purchase entirely on the site, you’ll qualify for a terrific Internet-only discount!

Enjoy your flight – maybe we’ll see each other there!

To save money on Grand Canyon airplane tours, travel editor Luke P. goes here for coupons and here for promo codes: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/airplane-promo-codes

Travel writer Luke P.\’s saves money on Grand Canyon airplane tours by using these terrific coupons: http://www.lasvegasgrandcanyonairplane.com/coupons.html

Author Bio: To save money on Grand Canyon airplane tours, travel editor Luke P. goes here for coupons and here for promo codes: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/airplane-promo-codes

Category: Travel
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