Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours for the Holidays

[Frank Denber]

*****************************************************************

Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com

*****************************************************************

Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Frank Denber

*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms

- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.

- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.

- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.

- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.

- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1868981

- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1868981

- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.

The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************

Article Title: Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours for the Holidays
Author: Frank Denber
Word Count: 586
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1868981&ca=Travel
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1868981

Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1868981

*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
In the U. S., we are now in the final stretch to Thanksgiving with Christmas right behind it. And what better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Grand Canyon helicopter tour from Las Vegas or Tusayan, AZ, at the South Rim.

This year, Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 28, which is the last Thursday in the month. Based on what I've seen in the past, folks begin booking these helicopter tours all week during the holiday. Then there's another surge of flights over the weekend.

So what am I getting at, right?

This: If you are taking a helicopter tour during this timeframe, book it once you have the one you want picked out. It's essential that you do this because there are two things working against you (especially those of us who procrastinate... Including me!).

The first is how many helicopters are available. During winter, tour companies cut down on the number of available aircraft. It's a business decision that makes sense because visitation to the National Park goes down during winter (compared to summer when everybody wants to get airborne).

Interestingly, most companies maintain this reduced fleet size even during major U. S. Winter holidays, which means that demand outstrips supply. It's ironic but it's been like this for years. Few travelers know this inside fact and get caught stranded on the ground. You, on the other hand, know about this phenomena, so please use it to your advantage.

The other thing that affects availability is the number of flights offered. Winter days are shorter than summer days so operators have only so much day light to work with. That means the early bird flight, which typically is offered around 7 a. M., is pulled and the sunset flight that departs at 4 p. M. Is now a 3 p. M. Flight.

Details, details. But it pays to know this stuff. And if you do find an early-bird tour, I suggest thinking twice about it. It's cold and daylight is still emerging. This is especially true for Las Vegas travelers who fly to the bottom. The goal of any helicopter traveler is still to get a mid-morning flight, and they exist. Just remember that there are fewer of them.

Indeed, Thanksgiving is a huge holiday, but I'm seeing more and more travelers leverage Christmas as a time to visit the National Park. This is a really smart way to see the canyon. December, albeit being cold, is a spectacular time because visibility is optimal. Further, there are fewer people and it's like having a private viewing party.

The same rules that apply at Thanksgiving apply at Christmas, so book in advance. Those of you who know me know that I'm a huge advocate of booking a week in advance. I'm still believe that. Why? Because it works. You get access to the better flight times and tours and most importantly, you save money. If that's not reason enough, then I haven't made my case.

I hope this article has helped you plan ahead when it comes to booking a helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon. Those of you flying from Las Vegas face more challenges when it comes to booking because of the convention groups. South Rim flyers should be fine but please don't rest on your laurels, either, and take the initiative and pre-book that air tour before hand. Have a great flight and happy holidays!
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************

- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com