A 25-minute flight with a mountain landing costs from NZ$395 at Glacier Southern Lakes and The Helicopter Line. Snow on the landing site is seasonal, from late autumn to early spring, and no operator guarantees it.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Remarkables (Flight 101)Includes Scenic flight, Alpine/snow landing on the Remarkables |
NZ$395 per adult |
25 minutes |
Max 6 in Squirrel/H130, 9 in H145 (T&Cs) |
Dressed weight required at booking; weighed on the day | Full refund over 24 hours; within 24 hours 100% fee; weather: move to another day or cancel free. | Check dates | ||
Queenstown PanoramaIncludes Scenic flight, Alpine landing (possibly snow in winter), Hotel pickup and drop-off, Pilot commentary |
NZ$395 per adult |
25 minutes incl. alpine landing; allow about 1 hour total |
Up to 6 passengers or 480 kg combined per helicopter |
Children must be with a paying adult; infants under 15 kg on knee | Max 480 kg combined per helicopter | Full refund or credit with 24+ hours' notice; within 24 hours or no-show full price; weather: rebook or full refund. | Check dates | |
Snow LandingIncludes Snow landing, Complimentary return transport from downtown (book separately) |
NZ$495 per adult |
30 minutes |
Private charters up to 6, subject to weights |
Weights required at booking; no stated limit | Within 24 hours 50% fee; no-show 100%; no fee if weather prevents flying. | Check dates | ||
Alpine Scenic (Flight 104)Includes Alpine/snow landing |
NZ$499 per adult |
30 minutes |
Full refund over 24 hours; within 24 hours 100% fee; weather: move to another day or cancel free. | Check dates | ||||
Southern Glacier ExperienceIncludes Flight into the Southern Alps and glaciers |
NZ$865 per person |
50 minutes |
Within 24 hours or no-show not refunded; weather: use voucher at another base or full refund. | Check dates | ||||
Alpine Snow LandingIncludes Snow landing in the Southern Alps |
NZ$925 per person |
Allow 45 minutes |
Private up to 5 (AS350) or 6 (EC130) |
8+ days 100% refund; within 7 days 50%; within 24 hours 25%; weather cancellations 100% refund. | Check dates | |||
Earnslaw Burn ExplorerIncludes Two landings incl. Earnslaw Burn |
NZ$1,195 per person |
75 minutes |
Within 24 hours 50% fee; no-show 100%; no fee if weather prevents flying. | Check dates | ||||
Milford Sound + Cruise (Flight 202)Includes Helicopter to Milford Sound, Milford Sound cruise, Alpine/glacier landing |
NZ$1,590 per adult |
4 hours |
Full refund over 24 hours; within 24 hours 100% fee; weather: move to another day or cancel free. | Check dates | ||||
Milford Sound ExplorerIncludes Two scenic landings (Milford Sound and Earnslaw Burn), Complimentary return transport from downtown (book separately) |
NZ$1,695 per adult |
About 1.5 hours |
Weights required at booking; no stated limit | Within 24 hours 50% fee; no-show 100%; no fee if weather prevents flying. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.
All four operators fly from bases at or beside Queenstown Airport in Frankton. Glacier Southern Lakes is at 35 Lucas Place and The Helicopter Line at 29 Lucas Place. Heliworks flies from a hangar at 64 Grant Road, and Over The Top checks in at the Blue Hangar, 10 Tex Smith Lane. The Helicopter Line includes hotel pickup on its Queenstown Panorama. Heliworks runs free transport from 37 Camp Street, booked separately, and Over The Top offers free parking or a pickup 30 minutes before departure.
Short flights land on the ranges near town. Glacier Southern Lakes sets down on the Remarkables, with Lake Wakatipu, Coronet Peak, the Crown Range and Cecil Peak in view. Heliworks crosses Skippers Canyon to a high-country site it does not name, and The Helicopter Line's Panorama looks out over the lake as far as Glenorchy. Longer trips go deeper: Heliworks lands at the Earnslaw Burn, which it describes as a place of waterfalls and glacier ice, and both Heliworks and Glacier Southern Lakes fly to Milford Sound.
The entry flights last 25 to 30 minutes, landing included. Glacier Southern Lakes and The Helicopter Line both fly 25 minutes for NZ$395, and The Helicopter Line asks you to allow about an hour with check-in and the safety briefing. Heliworks' Snow Landing runs 30 minutes for NZ$495. Over The Top gives no flight time for its NZ$925 shared snow landing, only a 45-minute allowance, and says the pilot can arrange sledging on the snow if the weather allows.
Glacier flights take longer. The Helicopter Line's Southern Glacier Experience is 50 minutes for NZ$865, Heliworks' Earnslaw Burn Explorer 75 minutes with two landings for NZ$1,195, and its Fiordland's Finest 2.5 hours with three landings for NZ$1,995. For Milford Sound, Heliworks' Explorer lands at the sound and at the Earnslaw Burn in about 1.5 hours (NZ$1,695). Glacier Southern Lakes allows 4 hours for its flight, cruise and alpine landing, from NZ$1,590.
The Helicopter Line flies AS350 Squirrels and Airbus H130s, each seating up to six depending on weight. Glacier Southern Lakes' terms give six seats in its Squirrel and H130 and nine in its H145. Heliworks charters a nine-seat BK as well as six-seat machines, and Over The Top's AS350 takes five passengers and its EC130 six.
Snow is seasonal. Heliworks says its snow landings run from late autumn into early spring and are not always offered from September to March. Over The Top says summer melt can limit the snow and that a snow landing cannot be promised all year. The Helicopter Line calls the Panorama's touchdown an alpine landing, with snow possible in winter, and Glacier Southern Lakes lists its Remarkables landing as alpine or snow.
The Helicopter Line asks passengers to reconfirm 24 hours ahead and to call 1 hour 15 minutes before departure for a final weather check, and it closes check-in 40 minutes before take-off. Heliworks asks for a call an hour before. All four refund or rebook flights they cancel for weather.
Heliworks says Civil Aviation Authority rules mean it needs every passenger's weight when you book, for weight and balance. The Helicopter Line caps each machine at six passengers or 480 kg combined. None of the four publishes a minimum age. The Helicopter Line seats infants under 15 kg on an adult's knee, and Heliworks charges NZ$250 for infants up to 2.
Glacier Southern Lakes and The Helicopter Line share the lowest fare, NZ$395 for a 25-minute flight with a landing. Glacier Southern Lakes charges NZ$290 for children 11 and under. The Helicopter Line lists no child fare but includes hotel pickup and conservation concession fees in its price. Heliworks charges NZ$495 for 30 minutes, with children 3 to 11 at NZ$350, and shows its Snow Landing prices as valid only until 31 October 2026.
Over The Top works at the private end. Its shared snow landing costs NZ$925 a seat, while a private AS350 costs NZ$3,700 for up to five people and an EC130 NZ$4,440 for up to six. The company also builds flights around alpine picnics, fishing and a par-3 golf hole at 4,500 ft. Its refunds scale with notice: 100% at eight days or more, 50% inside seven days and 25% inside 24 hours, with full refunds for weather.
Elsewhere the cancellation line sits at 24 hours. Glacier Southern Lakes and The Helicopter Line keep the full fare inside that window, and Heliworks keeps 50%. Heliworks' terms also set minimum passenger numbers and let it combine bookings to fill a helicopter. The Helicopter Line has bases in other parts of New Zealand, and a voucher for a weather-cancelled flight can be used at one of them.
from NZ$395 per adult
The Remarkables (Flight 101) and 2 more options
Child rate is 70% of adult unless stated; ages 12+ pay adult
from NZ$395 per adult
Queenstown Panorama and 1 more option
Multiple NZ bases; weather-cancelled vouchers usable at other bases
from NZ$495 per adult
Snow Landing and 2 more options
Heliworks.co.nz redirects to queenstownhelicopters.nz (operated by Action Helicopters Ltd)
from NZ$925 per person
Alpine Snow Landing
Focus on private and bespoke flights: alpine picnics, heli golf at a 4,500 ft par 3, heli fishing, wine tours
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.
