Franz Josef Snow Landing Flights

For a short flight that sets you down on the snow above Franz Josef Glacier, book a 20 or 25-minute scenic flight. HeliServices’ Glacier Helicopter Ride with Snow Landing is the lowest-priced tour on this site, from $204 per person for 20 minutes, rated 4.9 from 195 GetYourGuide reviews. The listed time includes the landing, which is a short stop for photos on a snowfield high in the mountains, weather and the pilot permitting.

Three flights to compare first:

• 20 minutes, from $204: HeliServices’ snow landing flight from Franz Josef. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.
• 25 minutes, from $235: Glacier Helicopters’ 25-minute flight with a landing on Franz Josef Glacier, sold on Viator and rated 4.9 from 244 Viator reviews. View Dates & Prices.
• 35 minutes, from $280: Glacier Helicopters’ flight over Franz Josef and Fox glaciers with a snow landing. View Dates & Prices or Check Tour Details.

What happens on a snow landing

The pilot sets the helicopter down on a snowfield above the icefall, the crew tells you when to step out, and you have a few minutes to take photos, touch the snow and look across the Southern Alps. You stay close to the aircraft, inside the area the pilot shows you. Then you climb back in and fly down.

Every listed flight time includes that stop. Glacier Helicopters splits its 25-minute Fox Glacier Scenic Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing into about 10 minutes flying up, an 8-minute photo stop and 7 minutes flying back. Add 30 minutes for check-in before departure, which the operators ask for.

Nothing is lent for the landing: Glacier Helicopters says it has no clothing to borrow. HeliServices says trainers are fine and that it can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler on the snow than in the village, so bring a warm layer and sunglasses. The what to wear guide has the full list.

Time on the snow by operator

The operators give different figures, and each one depends on the weather on the day:

• Glacier Country Helicopters: around 10 to 15 minutes including loading, in its FAQ. Its 25-minute listing promises a 10-minute snow or alpine landing.
• Glacier Helicopters: around 6 to 8 minutes, in its FAQ. The Fox itinerary above shows an 8-minute stop.
• The Helicopter Line: about 10 minutes on its Fox Glacier flight.
• HeliServices: the 20-minute listing gives no figure, only enough time for photos. Its 30-minute twin glacier listing says 10 minutes.

If minutes on the snow matter most to you, Glacier Country Helicopters quotes the longest stop of these operators. Our flight times guide works out how much of each listed length you spend in the air.

20 or 25 minutes?

Two flights from Franz Josef run 20 minutes: HeliServices from $204, and Glacier Helicopters’ Franz Josef Glacier Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing from $223, rated 4.9 from 57 reviews. Both fly up Franz Josef Glacier and land on its upper snowfield.

At 25 minutes the price barely moves. Glacier Country Helicopters’ Franz Josef Glacier: Helicopter Flight & Alpine Landing costs from $223 and carries 696 GetYourGuide reviews at 4.8, the most of any flight on this site. Glacier Helicopters’ 25-minute flight on Viator costs from $235.

Book HeliServices if price comes first: it is $19 less than the cheapest 25-minute option. Book the 25-minute Glacier Country flight if you want its 10-minute landing and the longest review record, but read the next section first.

The summer caveat on the 25-minute flight

Glacier Country Helicopters’ own listing says that in summer this snow landing “may become an alpine landing if no snow is available”. An alpine landing sets down on a mountain site that can be bare in warm months. The same listing says this 25-minute flight has the highest rate of cancellation of the company’s flights, because it has one route and one landing site, while its longer flights have several. That is the operator’s description; no cancellation figure is published.

A few low-star reviewers on that listing had no snow landing when weather closed in, or were moved to a landing site they liked less, and one paid extra to switch routes on a bad-weather day. If standing on snow is the reason you are flying in summer, read each listing’s landing wording before you book. The snow vs alpine landing guide explains the terms operators use.

A landing is never guaranteed

Every operator makes the landing subject to weather and the pilot’s judgment. Glacier Country Helicopters says it can never fully guarantee a landing and adjusts the price after an overflight. Glacier Helicopters and HeliServices make the final weather call at check-in, 30 minutes before departure.

GetYourGuide bookings cancel free up to 24 hours before, and a weather cancellation gets you a new time or a full refund. Book the flight for your first morning in Franz Josef and keep the next day free, as the operators advise. The weather and refunds guide covers what happens next.

Where the short flights leave from

The Franz Josef operators sit on the main road, a short walk from most accommodation, and none offers hotel pickup. HeliServices boards at its base in the township, and Glacier Helicopters checks in on the main road (State Highway 6). Glacier Helicopters’ 25-minute Fox flight leaves from Fox Glacier township instead, 24 km south, about 25 minutes by car. Check the base on your booking before you set off.

Who a snow landing suits

A 20 or 25-minute flight suits a first helicopter ride, a tight budget or a single night in Franz Josef. You get the icefall from the air and a few minutes on the snow, and the whole visit fits into a morning. Children can fly: HeliServices seats infants 3 and under weighing less than 15 kg on a lap, and the kids guide has each operator’s rules.

It suits you less if you want to walk on the ice. The landing is a few minutes beside the helicopter, while a guided heli-hike gives you up to 2.5 hours on the glacier in crampons. To add Fox Glacier, a twin glacier flight runs 30 to 35 minutes, and the Mount Cook flights reach toward Aoraki and the Tasman Glacier. For costs by flight type, see helicopter prices.

Once you have picked a length, check availability for your first morning in town.