Franz Josef Helicopter Flights With Kids: Age, Weight and Seating Rules

Ages and infants: what each operator says

Glacier Country Helicopters has “no minimum age”. It counts children from birth to three as infants, who must weigh under 15 kg and sit on a parent’s knee; from four to 17 a child has their own seat. Each child or infant must fly with a paying adult.

Glacier Helicopters also has no minimum age. Its GetYourGuide listings say children aged 4 to 14 and over 15 kg must have their own seat, and infants under four and under 15 kg sit on an adult’s knee. The Helicopter Line, part of the same group, uses the 15 kg line too: below it an infant goes on an adult’s knee, above it the child needs a seat of their own, and children must be with a paying adult.

HeliServices treats infants aged three and under and weighing less than 15 kg as lap passengers who fly free, but you must declare them as passengers when you book. An infant of three or under who weighs more than 15 kg pays the child fare. INFLITE is the strict one on infants: a baby may travel on a caregiver’s lap, but “a seat is still allocated and charged”, which INFLITE ties to Civil Aviation Authority requirements.

So the age at which a child stops riding on your knee is set by weight as much as by birthday. A big three-year-old over 15 kg needs a seat everywhere, and at INFLITE even a newborn uses one. Tell the operator your children’s real ages and weights when you book; these rules are applied at check-in, and the fare follows from them.

Older children are treated as children until 14 at Glacier Helicopters and HeliServices (the band used for child fares), while Glacier Country Helicopters’ seat rule runs to 17. Glacier Country Helicopters needs four passengers for a flight to depart, so a family of four meets that minimum on its own.

Seats, weight and sitting together

You cannot choose seats. Glacier Helicopters says “you cannot choose your own seat”, and INFLITE says seats cannot be selected or guaranteed in advance. Pilots allocate seats at check-in by weight and balance, after weighing every passenger. A child may end up in the front next to the pilot or in the back between two strangers, and a parent may sit in a different row.

A couple of reviewers on Glacier Country Helicopters’ flights say they were seated apart from their partner, so plan for that with children. Talk to them about it before you arrive, and tell the check-in staff if a young child needs to sit beside you. None of the listings promises that a family will sit together.

Front seats come with the tightest weight limits. Glacier Country Helicopters allows 154 kg for two front passengers, or 120 kg for one, and takes front-seat requests at least 24 hours ahead, confirmed only at check-in and charged once confirmed. Adults of 120 kg or more, including gear, must buy a Comfort Seat at half the flight price. Its seats are 40 cm wide.

Accurate weights matter for the whole family. The Helicopter Line asks for every passenger’s weight at booking, and Glacier Helicopters may reschedule a passenger whose actual weight is 15 kg or more above the declared figure. INFLITE sets a passenger limit of 116 kg on its listings. These limits belong to each operator; none of them applies across Franz Josef.

If sitting together matters most, a private helicopter is the one way to control the cabin. Glacier Country Helicopters says private charters have more flexibility and seating can be discussed, though weight and balance rules still apply. Prices are per helicopter for up to six people, which for a family of six on the 25-minute flight works out at about the same per head as a shared seat; the details are on the private flights page.