Is the Manhattan Sightseeing Helicopter Tour Worth It?
What HeliNY's 12-15 minute Manhattan flight gives you for the money, and what 350 recent reviews say about seats, flight times and the clock. Read November 2026.
For a first visit, yes, if you book it for what it is: about a quarter of an hour over the rivers, with the Statue of Liberty, the downtown towers and the Empire State Building close enough to photograph. HeliNY’s Manhattan sightseeing flight is from US$272 on promotion, usually US$322 a person for 12-15 minutes (checked November 2026) and has 7,943 reviews averaging 4.8. The low ratings are mostly about the seat you are given and the minutes on the clock, so know both before you pay.
The calendar is HeliNY’s. Choose a date first; the three Manhattan lengths appear as options under it.
What the money buys
On the 12-15 minute option you get the flight itself, the heliport fees and taxes, a noise-cancelling Bose headset, a locker and the pilot’s live narration. Photos taken at the pad are sold separately, and tips are up to you. This length takes in five sights: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building and the lower part of Central Park.
At the promotional price of 24 November 2026 that came to US$272.19 for one adult. On the January and March 2027 dates we read it was US$322.12. A child aged 2 or over pays the same, because every passenger from that age needs a seat.
Where the low ratings come from
We read HeliNY’s 350 most recent reviews in November 2026. 303 give five stars, 31 four, 7 three, 2 two and 7 one. Of the 16 at three stars or below, eight have text:
| What went wrong | When | What the reviewer says |
|---|---|---|
| A rear-facing seat | Two reviews, 30 October 2026 | One paid about US$270 for 15 minutes “seating backwards” in a small cabin; the other, writing in German, calls the seat against the direction of flight very bad |
| A middle seat | 23 October 2026 | Disappointed, after paying so much, to end up in the middle |
| The flight felt short | 7 November 2026 | Booked 15 minutes; says it barely lasted 10 |
| An earlier slot | 7 November and 23 October 2026 | Booked a late-afternoon time and was flown, or asked to fly, before it |
| Not able to board | 25 October 2026 | A companion in a wheelchair was not helped on board and the group left |
Reviews of NYC: Manhattan Sightseeing Helicopter Tour (HeliNY) on GetYourGuide, read in November 2026; quotations translated where the review is not in English.
None of these is about the views. The seat is not yours to choose: on HeliNY’s flight, final seating depends on the weights of everyone on board. We have not timed a flight ourselves; the minutes quoted are the ones sold.
The other two operators flying from the same pier draw the same complaint about time. Recent reviews of Charm Aviation's flight mention 8-9 and 12 minutes in the air for a flight sold as 15 or more, and a Zip Aviation passenger found its 12-15 minutes “were only 10”. The complaint is not limited to one company.
Who it suits, and who should skip it
It suits a first-time visitor with one free daytime slot who wants the skyline, the statue and the bridges in one go, and is happy to treat it as a short ride rather than a long tour. It also suits anyone who has already done an observation deck and wants the view from the water side.
Pick a longer flight if you want time to settle in before the photos: the 17-20 minute option adds northern Manhattan and the George Washington Bridge, and the 25-30 minute option the harbor and the Verrazzano Bridge. How long is a NYC helicopter ride sets them side by side.
Skip it if a window seat is the whole point and you would mind not getting one, or if you or someone in your group uses a wheelchair: check with the operator before booking, because the one recent review on this was a refusal at the pier. And skip the Manhattan flight on a Sunday; there isn’t one.
The price against the alternatives
Charm Aviation sells the same three lengths from the same heliport; its 12-15 minute flight was US$319.54 on 24 November 2026. Zip Aviation’s shortest flight was US$269.10 that day and US$299.00 on 20 January 2027, with a recorded commentary instead of a live one. The NYC helicopter ride price lists every option we read.
More from New York
Other New York Tours with Open Dates
Harbor cruises, observation decks and city tours with live availability. Each shows what it includes and how to cancel before you pay.
The 12-15 Minute Flight from Pier 6
HeliNY's Manhattan sightseeing flight: the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center and the Empire State Building, with the pilot narrating. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
See flight dates