Night helicopter flight over the Strip: Papillon or Maverick – what your €85.26 actually buys

Among the Las Vegas offers we source from GetYourGuide, two Strip night flights rank in the top ten by number of reviews. Papillon Helicopters’ flight is fourth, with 2,061 reviews and 4.6 stars, while Maverick Helicopters’ flight is seventh, with 1,938 reviews and 4.7 stars. Both cost from €85.26 per person. That’s also the lowest price among the 21 helicopter flights in our listings. The median there is €352.24, because most flights go to the Grand Canyon.

Because the two offers look alike at first glance, we cover them together here. The differences sit in the small print: the cancellation deadline, the transfer, the language of the commentary, the seating, and children.

What your €85.26 buys

The listings give the duration as 12 minutes (Papillon) and 11 minutes (Maverick). You’re in the air for slightly less than that. Papillon itself states that the flight lasts about ten minutes, while Maverick says “10 to 12 minutes”. Both fly over the Strip past the Bellagio fountains, the High Roller, the Sphere and Allegiant Stadium. Papillon also mentions the Eiffel Tower at Paris and the T-Mobile Arena, while Maverick mentions the STRAT, the Wynn and the old downtown with the Circa.

This shortness is exactly what reviews complain about most often. The summary on the Papillon page notes that some guests would like clearer information about the actual flight time, because the flight often feels shorter than expected. One guest from the UK works it out: five minutes of photos before boarding, around ten minutes of flying, and after a quarter of an hour it was all over. For value for money, Papillon scores 4.2 out of 5 on the booking page, Maverick 4.5 out of 5. Both figures sit below the respective overall rating.

Worked out per minute of flying, you’re paying a good €8. If you know that beforehand, you’re rarely disappointed afterwards. If you’re expecting half an hour over the city, you will be.

Papillon and Maverick compared

	Papillon (4th)	Maverick (7th)
Price	from €85.26	from €85.26
Reviews	2,061, 4.6 stars	1,938, 4.7 stars
Flight time per operator	about 10 minutes	10 to 12 minutes
Departure	own terminal near the Strip	Maverick terminal at Harry Reid airport
Hotel transfer	depending on option, round trip	not included, per the booking page
Commentary	audio guide in ten languages	pilot, in English
Free cancellation	up to 24 hours beforehand	up to 3 days beforehand
Guests per flight	up to 6	maximum 6, minimum 4

Papillon’s audio guide runs in, among others, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. You can also reserve now and pay later. Papillon therefore suits anyone who wants to stay flexible and is staying on the Strip without a car.

Maverick needs more planning. You have to reconfirm the flight 72 hours beforehand. Changes and cancellations are only possible up to 72 hours before departure, and no-shows pay the full price. You must check in at least 30 minutes before take-off. Anyone arriving later doesn’t fly and gets no refund. Every flight needs at least four guests. What happens if fewer guests sign up isn’t stated on the page.

Maverick is more specific about the aircraft: an Airbus helicopter with leather seats in cinema-style rows and floor-to-ceiling windows all round. Papillon states only that up to six guests fit in one helicopter and larger groups are split across several aircraft.

Where you sit decides the flight

Neither booking page addresses this difference openly. At Maverick, seats are assigned by weight and centre of gravity, and the page states explicitly that travelling companions aren’t guaranteed to sit together. A guest who gave four stars says that really only the person sitting on the left behind the pilot gets to enjoy the Strip. In the back middle seat, they say, you have to lean over your neighbour to take photos.

At Papillon, guests report that the ticket price covers the back seats. Anyone who wants to sit at the front pays a surcharge on the spot. Two reviews mention $30 and $60, while a third guest ended up getting the front seat with no surcharge at all. The booking page states no entitlement to a front or window seat.

According to reviews, both operators sell photos. One review mentions $28 for a photo at Papillon, another €40 for framed pictures at Maverick.

Weight, ID, luggage

Papillon and Maverick both require an extra seat from 300 lb (about 136 kg) of body weight. At Papillon, you pay for it directly with the operator on the day of the flight.

Both pages require ID, so bring your passport. Maverick is the strictest here: anyone aged 18 or over needs an original official photo ID. Photocopies and photos on a phone aren’t accepted. Without valid ID there’s no check-in and no refund. Anyone who turns up drunk can also be turned away, again without a refund.

At Papillon, drinks, rucksacks and selfie sticks aren’t allowed on board. If you’re combining the flight with a day trip, it’s best to leave the rucksack at the hotel.

Not every evening runs on time. One guest wrote in August 2026 that their Papillon flight was delayed by an hour, with a lot of standing around. A Maverick guest praises the fact that the booked time was kept. These are individual reports, but don’t schedule the flight tightly before a show.

Who it’s not for

• If you want to see the Grand Canyon. This flight stays over the city. For the canyon there are dedicated flights, listed under the Grand Canyon tours.
• If you want as much time in the air as possible. Ten minutes is ten minutes.
• If you just want to see the lights. That’s cheaper: the High Roller from €18.43, the STRAT observation deck from €23.21, or the Eiffel Tower’s from €25.54. More of that is listed under things to do in Las Vegas.

With children

Maverick spells it out clearly: children aged two and over need their own seat, meaning their own ticket. Younger children may fly on an adult’s lap if a birth certificate is provided. Papillon’s page for this flight states no age rule. What Papillon states for babies on its canyon flights is covered in our article Grand Canyon with kids. Whether the same applies to the Strip flight is something you should confirm with the operator before booking.

For families, two other points often matter more than age. First, Maverick’s weight-based seating: a child isn’t guaranteed to sit next to you there. Second, the language. Papillon has the audio guide in German, while at Maverick the pilot speaks English. A guest of a different operator says their children struggled to understand the pilot.

The ten minutes of flying are rarely the problem – it’s the evening around it: getting there, check-in, photos and possibly waiting time. A night flight happens after dark, so late in the evening during summer. Especially with young children, that’s the part you need to plan for. More on this age group is in the article Las Vegas with a baby and toddler, and for older children in the article Las Vegas with teenagers.

The alternatives nearby

West Air Helicopters, from €90.43, 452 reviews, 4.7 stars. It’s the only one of the four offers that guarantees every guest a window seat, according to the booking page. The listing gives 12 to 15 minutes of flying from Mandalay Bay to Fremont Street, 26 kilometres according to the operator, plus an air-conditioned helicopter, one photo and no extra fees at check-in. The catches: departure isn’t from the Strip but from North Rancho Drive in the north-west of the city. Parking is free, but the page doesn’t list a hotel transfer as included. Every guest is weighed. The limit is 125 kg per person and 575 lb, about 261 kg, for all three guests combined. Anyone over that doesn’t fly and gets nothing back. Solo travellers must provide a backup date in case the second seat doesn’t sell. Children under two are excluded, and minors fly only with a parent or guardian. Flights are mostly at night, though sunset flights are also available.

5 Star Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours, from €93.87, 217 reviews, 4.6 stars. The listing states two hours. The flight itself lasts 10 to 12 minutes according to the page, including boarding and disembarking, plus a 15-minute safety briefing. The seats face forward, and the windows span more than 180 degrees. A second seat is required from 250 lb (113 kg), the lowest threshold of the four. Several reviews would like more commentary from the pilot.

If you’d rather spend the evening on the ground, you’ll find the Sphere and the observation wheel covered in their own articles, and an overview of the city in the article What to see in Las Vegas.

Is it worth it?

Yes, if you want to fly over the lights of the Strip once and know it’s about ten minutes. Papillon is the right choice if you want to stay flexible, don’t have a hire car, or want to hear the commentary in German. Maverick suits you if your schedule is fixed three days ahead and English is enough for you. West Air is worth it if a guaranteed window seat matters more to you than a short trip to departure.

No, if you expect a lot of time in the air for the money. In that case, save up for a canyon flight instead, or take in the Strip from the observation wheel.