Franz Josef Helicopter Prices

A Franz Josef helicopter flight with a snow landing costs $204 to $223 per person on GetYourGuide for 20 to 25 minutes, $243 to $280 for 30 to 35 minutes over two glaciers, and $393 to $506 for 45 to 60 minutes. Guided heli-hikes cost $480 to $876. These are US dollars. The operators’ own websites quote New Zealand dollars, so NZ$395 and $223 can describe the same 25-minute flight.

For most people we would start at the 30-minute HeliServices twin glacier flight, at $260. It costs $37 to $56 more than the shortest flights and adds 5 to 10 listed minutes and the Fox Glacier snowfields. It is rated 4.9 from 154 reviews and leaves from Franz Josef township.

Quick picks by budget:

• Lowest price: HeliServices’ 20-minute snow landing, $204 per person, 4.9 from 195 reviews. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.
• Two glaciers for the least: the HeliServices twin, $260, with a 10-minute landing. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.
• Four glaciers and two landings: Glacier Country Helicopters’ 60-minute flight, $506. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.

Prices by type of flight

Each band below is the GetYourGuide price per person, in USD, on a bookable date in October 2026. A listed duration includes the landing.

• 20 to 25 minutes, one glacier, one landing: $204 to $223. That covers the HeliServices 20-minute flight ($204), the Glacier Helicopters 20-minute flight ($223), the Glacier Country Helicopters 25-minute flight ($223) and Glacier Helicopters’ Fox Glacier 25-minute flight ($223, from Fox Glacier village). On Viator, the Glacier Helicopters 25-minute Franz Josef flight is $235.
• 30 to 35 minutes, two glaciers: $243 to $280. INFLITE’s 30-minute Franz Josef and Tasman flight ($243) crosses the Main Divide to land on the Tasman Glacier, according to its listing. Three 35-minute flights cost $280: the Glacier Country Helicopters two-glacier trip, the Glacier Helicopters Franz Josef and Fox flight and The Helicopter Line’s Fox Glacier and Mount Cook flight, which leaves from Fox Glacier village.
• 40 to 45 minutes: $351 to $393. The three-glacier flight with a 15-minute landing is $393, and HeliServices’ Grand Tour is $351.
• 50 to 60 minutes: $395 to $506. INFLITE’s Grand Circle is $395 but has only 13 reviews (4.3). The 60-minute four-glacier flight with two landings is $506.
• Heli-hikes: $480 for Fox Glacier Guiding’s hike (it departs Fox Glacier village), $508 for the Franz Josef Glacier Guides heli-hike, and $876 for the extended heli-hike with lunch, which has a single review so far. Our heli-hike page covers who can go.

Direct prices in New Zealand dollars

Book with an operator and you pay New Zealand dollars, including 15% GST. Two operators’ price lists say they were valid until 30 September 2026 and were still online on 19 October, so expect them to change:

• Glacier Country Helicopters (to 30 September 2026): NZ$395 for 25 minutes, NZ$495 for 35, NZ$695 for 45, NZ$795 for 50 and NZ$895 for the 60-minute flight with two landings.
• Glacier Helicopters (to 30 September 2026): NZ$395 for 20 minutes, NZ$495 for the twin glacier flight and NZ$695 for 40 minutes.
• The Helicopter Line (no date shown): NZ$395 for 25 minutes, NZ$495 for the 35-minute twin and NZ$695 for 40 minutes.
• HeliServices (to 30 September 2027): from NZ$360 for 20 minutes, plus a temporary NZ$20 fuel surcharge per passenger.
• Franz Josef Glacier Guides (to 30 September 2027): NZ$899 for the heli-hike, the same for adults and children.

On six matched products, the GetYourGuide dollar price works out at about 0.565 of the operator’s NZD price: NZ$395 becomes $223, and NZ$899 becomes $508. In other words, GetYourGuide appears to charge the direct rate, converted. A few listings do not line up (INFLITE’s Grand Circle is NZ$749 direct and $395 on GetYourGuide), and it is unclear whether the HeliServices fuel surcharge is inside its GetYourGuide price, so compare the final total before you pay.

Every flight and hike on this site, sorted by price

The last column divides the price by the listed minutes. It is our own arithmetic, and it counts the landing as flight time.

The pattern is clear enough to plan with. The 20-minute flights cost the most per minute, and from 30 minutes up most flights settle at about $8 to $9 a minute. The Grand Circle is the cheapest per minute at $6.58, with a thin review record to set against it. GetYourGuide files the Grand Circle and the HeliServices twin under Fox Glacier, yet both check in at Franz Josef. A minute of flying is only part of the value, and our flight times guide explains how much of each listing you spend in the air.

Private flights cost per helicopter

Glacier Country Helicopters sells private flights on Viator at one price per aircraft, for up to six people. The 25-minute private flight with a landing starts at $866 per helicopter for one to three people. The up-to-six option is NZ$2,300, about $1,330, so six people pay about $222 each, close to a shared seat on the 25-minute flight. The private four-glacier flight starts at $1,998 per helicopter, and six people pay about $473 each against $506 for a shared seat. Weight and balance rules still decide who sits where. Our private flights page has the other options and INFLITE’s Picnic Amongst the Peaks at $2,262 per group of up to six.

Children’s fares

Child discounts vary by operator and are published for direct bookings. Glacier Helicopters charges children aged 4 to 14 at 70% of the adult fare and infants up to 3 at 50%. HeliServices charges children aged 4 to 14 half fare, and an infant of 3 or under who weighs less than 15 kg flies free on an adult’s lap. INFLITE allocates and charges a seat even for a lap infant. The heli-hike is NZ$899 at any age, from age 10. The USD prices on this page are what two adults paid per person, so check your family’s total on the calendar. Our kids guide sets out the age and seating rules.

What the price covers and what can cost extra

Every listing above includes the flight and, where one is listed, the landing. None includes hotel pickup. On Glacier Country Helicopters flights, a passenger who weighs 120 kg or more at check-in must buy a Comfort Seat at half the flight price. A front-seat request must go in 24 hours ahead and is confirmed at check-in; the operator says the request is free and a fee then applies. Paying Glacier Country Helicopters direct by credit card adds 2.5%.

If cloud stops the landing, Glacier Country Helicopters adjusts the price of the overflight. A few reviewers mention paying extra for a souvenir photo, and one was charged more after the weather moved the flight to another route, so ask at check-in before you agree to a change.

Discount codes and cheaper ways to fly

Glacier Country Helicopters has advertised SPRING15 (15% off direct bookings for September and October departures) and CHILD20 (20% off child fares). Both apply only when you book with the operator, and nothing we found says how long either code runs. The lowest prices you can book are the 20-minute HeliServices flight at $204 per person and, for a group of six, a private helicopter at about $222 each. Whether the money is well spent is a separate question, and our value guide answers it.

Weather is the other cost to plan for. A GetYourGuide booking cancelled for weather is rescheduled or refunded in full, and you can cancel for free up to 24 hours before. Book your first morning in Franz Josef so a cancelled flight can move to the next day. For flights by route, compare snow landing flights, twin glacier flights and Mount Cook flights, then check availability for the twin.