Franz Josef helicopter flight times: 20, 25, 35 or 40 minutes?
Listed flight times include the landing. Compare 20, 25, 35 and 40 minute Franz Josef helicopter flights by time in the air, time on the snow and price.
The minutes on a Franz Josef flight listing include the snow landing, so you spend less time in the air than the number suggests. On a 35-minute flight with a 10-minute landing, such as Glacier Country Helicopters’ Franz Josef: 35-Minute Helicopter Trip over Two Glaciers, you fly for about 25 minutes. On a 20-minute flight with Glacier Helicopters’ 6 to 8 minute landing, you fly for about 12 to 14.
Price per listed minute falls from $10 to $11 on the 20-minute flights to $8 or $9 on most flights of 25 minutes and longer. Prices below are per person in US dollars on GetYourGuide, checked in October 2026, and the live price is always on the booking page.
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What the listed minutes include
Every scenic flight at Franz Josef is sold by its total length, landing included. Glacier Helicopters’ listings state it directly: flight times are approximate and include your landing. The clock starts when the helicopter lifts off at the base and stops when it sets down again, so the time you stand on the snow comes out of the number on the card.
How long that landing lasts depends on the operator. Glacier Country Helicopters says around 10 to 15 minutes, loading included, and its listings name a 10-minute landing on the 25 and 35-minute flights and 15 minutes on the 45-minute flight. Glacier Helicopters says around 6 to 8 minutes. The Helicopter Line lists about 10 minutes on its Fox Glacier flight, and HeliServices lists 10 minutes on its 30-minute twin flight and 8 to 10 on its 40-minute Grand Tour.
Take the 35-minute twin-glacier flight as the worked case. With a 10-minute landing, about 25 minutes remain for flying: up the Franz Josef valley, across to a second glacier and back down to the base. Glacier Helicopters’ version, the Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers Helicopter Flight & Snow Landing, shows a 35-minute duration but lists a “30-minute scenic helicopter flight” among its inclusions, and the operator’s own price list calls the same flight 30 minutes. Read the 35 as the outside figure for that one.
A landing is never promised. If cloud closes the landing sites, the pilot may fly the route without stopping, and Glacier Country Helicopters adjusts the price of an overflight. You then get more minutes in the air and none on the snow.
What each step up in length adds
At 20 minutes, the flight goes up the Franz Josef Glacier, lands on snow and comes back. HeliServices’ Franz Josef: Glacier Helicopter Ride with Snow Landing costs $204, the lowest price of the 15 tours with a page on this site, and is rated 4.9 from 195 GetYourGuide reviews. Glacier Helicopters’ Franz Josef Glacier Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing is $223. You see one glacier and the peaks around its head.
The 25-minute flights on GetYourGuide also cost $223, so the five extra minutes add nothing to the price. The Franz Josef Glacier: Helicopter Flight & Alpine Landing from Glacier Country Helicopters is the most-reviewed flight here, 4.8 from 696 reviews, with a 10-minute landing. Its listing adds two caveats. In summer the snow landing may become an alpine landing if no snow is available, and the operator says this flight has the highest rate of cancellation of its flights because it has one route and one landing site, while the longer flights have several. No cancellation figures are published to measure it against.
From 30 to 35 minutes a second glacier comes in. The Twin Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers Helicopter Trip from HeliServices runs 30 minutes with a 10-minute landing for $260, and the two 35-minute twin flights cost $280. The Glacier Country flight covers Franz Josef plus either Fox or Tasman, chosen with the weather, which our Pilot’s Choice guide covers. INFLITE’s 30-min Flight Franz Josef & Tasman Glaciers ($243) crosses the Main Divide at Centennial Hut to land on the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s longest.
At 40 to 45 minutes you add a third glacier and a closer look at Aoraki/Mt Cook, cloud permitting. The 3-Glacier Helicopter Ride with Landing runs 45 minutes with a 15-minute landing for $393. The 60-minute 4-Glacier Helicopter Ride with 2 Landings ($506) adds the Shackleton Glacier and a second landing. See the Mount Cook flights and multi-glacier pages for those routes.
Every flight by listed length
| Listed | Flight | Operator | Snow time (operator) | Air time (derived) | Glaciers | From | Per listed minute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 min | Twin glacier overflight | Glacier Country Helicopters | None, overflight | About 18 min | Franz Josef, Fox | $223 | $12 |
| 20 min | Snow landing flight | HeliServices | Not stated | Not stated | Franz Josef | $204 | $10 |
| 20 min | Snow landing flight | Glacier Helicopters | 6 to 8 min | About 12 to 14 min | Franz Josef | $223 | $11 |
| 25 min | Flight & Alpine Landing | Glacier Country Helicopters | 10 min | About 15 min | Franz Josef | $223 | $9 |
| 25 min | Fox Glacier snow landing (departs Fox) | Glacier Helicopters | 8 min | About 17 min | Fox | $223 | $9 |
| 30 min | Twin glacier trip | HeliServices | 10 min | About 20 min | Franz Josef, Fox | $260 | $9 |
| 30 min | Franz Josef & Tasman | INFLITE | Not stated | Not stated | Franz Josef, Tasman | $243 | $8 |
| 35 min | Franz Josef & Fox twin | Glacier Helicopters | 6 to 8 min | About 27 to 29 min | Franz Josef, Fox | $280 | $8 |
| 35 min | Two glaciers | Glacier Country Helicopters | 10 min | About 25 min | Franz Josef plus Fox or Tasman | $280 | $8 |
| 35 min | Fox Glacier & Mount Cook (departs Fox) | The Helicopter Line | About 10 min | About 25 min | Fox, past Aoraki/Mt Cook | $280 | $8 |
| 40 min | The Grand Tour | HeliServices | 8 to 10 min | About 30 to 32 min | Franz Josef, Fox, Tasman | $351 | $9 |
| 40 min | Franz Josef, Fox & Mt Cook | The Helicopter Line | Not stated | Not stated | Franz Josef, Fox, Tasman | $393 | $10 |
| 45 min | 3-glacier ride | Glacier Country Helicopters | 15 min | About 30 min | Franz Josef, Fox, Tasman | $393 | $9 |
| 60 min | 4-glacier ride, 2 landings | Glacier Country Helicopters | Two landings, about 10 min each | About 40 min | Franz Josef, Fox, Tasman, Shackleton | $506 | $8 |
Snow time is each operator’s figure (for the 60-minute flight, from its Viator listing). Air time is the listed length minus that figure. Price per listed minute includes the landing, rounded to whole dollars. All flights check in at Franz Josef except the two marked Fox, and the glaciers flown depend on the weather.
Two more 40-minute flights sell only on Viator. The Helicopter Line’s Mountain Scenic Spectacular 40-Min Helicopter Flight is from $413, rated 5.0 from 38 Viator reviews, with a 5 to 10 minute snow landing, so about 30 to 35 minutes in the air. Glacier Helicopters sells a 40-minute Mount Cook Spectacular there at the same price.
What the extra dollars buy
Going from 20 to 25 minutes costs nothing on the $223 flights, and Glacier Country’s 10-minute landing is longer than Glacier Helicopters’ 6 to 8, though it comes with the single-route caveat.
From 25 to 35 minutes the price rises by $57, from $223 to $280. On the Glacier Country flights that buys about 10 more minutes in the air and a second glacier, with the same 10-minute landing.
The step from 35 to 45 minutes costs $113 more ($393). You gain about 5 minutes of flying, 5 more minutes on the snow and a third glacier, and when the cloud stays off the divide you get closer views of Aoraki/Mt Cook. Another $113 takes you to the 60-minute flight with its second landing and fourth glacier.
Measured per minute in the air, the 25-minute Glacier Country flight costs about $15, and the 35-minute twin flights and the 40-minute Grand Tour cost about $10 to $11, the lowest of the flights that state a landing time. If the flying is what you are paying for, the twin-glacier flights give you the most of it per dollar. If standing on the snow matters more, the 45-minute flight’s 15-minute landing is the longest single stop in the table. Full price bands, child fares and private flights are on the prices page, and our guide to choosing a flight picks one by traveler.
How long the whole outing takes
Check in 30 minutes before departure at Glacier Country Helicopters, Glacier Helicopters, HeliServices and The Helicopter Line; a missed check-in at Glacier Country Helicopters forfeits the fare. The Helicopter Line says to allow about an hour in total for check-in, the safety briefing and its 35-minute flight.
Glacier Country Helicopters asks you to allow an extra 45 minutes on top of the flight time for check-in, the van to the hangar, loading, unloading and the ride back to the office. A 25-minute flight then takes about 70 minutes from the office door and back, and the 60-minute flight about an hour and three quarters.
You learn at check-in whether the weather lets you fly. Book your flight for your first morning in the area and keep a second day free, the advice every operator gives. Our weather, cancellations and refunds guide covers what happens if it does not go. A heli-hike takes about four hours from check-in; see the heli-hike vs scenic flight guide.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Franz Josef helicopter flight?
Scenic flights are sold at 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 60 minutes, and the listed time includes the landing. A 35-minute flight with a 10-minute landing has about 25 minutes of flying. Allow 30 minutes for check-in before departure, and up to 45 minutes on top of the flight time at Glacier Country Helicopters.
How long do you spend on the snow?
It depends on the operator. Glacier Helicopters gives around 6 to 8 minutes, Glacier Country Helicopters 10 to 15 minutes including loading (15 minutes on its 45-minute flight), and The Helicopter Line and HeliServices about 10. Weather can shorten the stop or cancel it, and an overflight is repriced at Glacier Country Helicopters.
Is a 20-minute flight long enough?
For one glacier and a short snow landing, yes: you fly up the Franz Josef icefall, stand on the snow and come back. You fly for about 12 to 14 minutes on Glacier Helicopters’ flight. The 25-minute flights on GetYourGuide cost the same $223, with a longer landing at Glacier Country Helicopters.
Ready to pick a time? Check the 25-minute flight for your date, or compare short flights on the snow landing page.
Related reading:
Pick a Morning Above the Glacier
Flights run on the weather. Book early in your stay so a cancelled slot can move to the next day.
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