If your flight is cancelled or postponed due to weather you will not be charged a cancellation fee.

• Online bookings: We only take payments when you arrive at the airport for check-in. No payment is taken when you make a booking via our website.

• Agent bookings: We will notify your booking agent if your flight has been cancelled. Your agent will then provide you with a refund. The refund process can take a few days.

If your flight is postponed or delayed, we will do our best to work with you to reschedule your flight to suit your travel plans. 

Typically, during our main season from October – April, we fly on up to 85% of the days, however, this can vary from month to month depending on weather patterns.

• Lake Tekapo: 15 mins before departure.

• Franz Josef: 30mins before departure.

We recommend taking a sweater or jacket, sunglasses, and of course, your camera.

Large bags can be stored safely with our ground staff.

For our helicopter alpine landing flights, suitable covered footwear will be required during winter months, as well as warmer clothing like gloves and a hat.

All aircraft are fitted with heaters which the pilot will use during our colder days.

Fresh air vents are available above all seats for you to use as required.

As our weather can be so changeable, we advise that you fly at the first available opportunity so as not to be disappointed if the weather changes while you are here. The lighting at different times of the day can have different effects allowing for some great photo opportunities! However, as our flights cover a large area and we make lots of gentle turns, great photo opportunities will present themselves to everyone who flies with us at any time of the day.

Absolutely! We have various type of aircraft with different design features to suit all requirements. Our large mobile stairs have shallow steps with sturdy handrails for all of our larger aircraft, and when required for our smaller aircraft.

We fly 364 days of the year, depending on the weather. We are only closed on Christmas Day (25 December).

Yes! There is always snow on the larger mountains around the Southern Alps, Aoraki Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, and the larger mountains 9,000 feet above sea level. During the cooler and winter months, snow can be all the way down to the Mackenzie Basin around Lake Tekapo, and near the foothills on the West Coast.

If you don’t have your own transport while staying in Tekapo or Franz Josef, we can offer complimentary transport to and from the airport. Please let us know if you need transport when booking, then arrive at our office 20 minutes before your flight time and let our staff know.

It’s best to use your own vehicle for the drive to our Tekapo or Franz Josef airports. Directions to our airport can be found here for Lake Tekapo, and here for Franz Josef.

Your pilot will direct you to the most suitable seat for each passenger based on the loading requirements for each aircraft. Rest assured that all seats have their own window for great viewing no matter where you are in the aircraft.

Depending on the number of adults, children, and infants in your group, there will normally be no problem catering for an infant. Very young infants will sit on an adults lap with a separate lap restraint provided by your pilot. Your pilot will advise on suitability of flight conditions, and which children will need to occupy a seat.

We advise you follow professional advice from a doctor where appropriate, however, this has not been an issue for us in the past.

We ask that you advise us as soon as possible for any cancellations. Cancellations greater than 48 hours prior to flight time will incur no charge.   For cancellations between 24 and 48 hours there will be a 50% charge.  For cancellations less than 24 hours and no-shows there will be a 100% charge. If a flight is cancelled by Air Safaris due to weather or operational requirements there will be no charge.

Air Safaris operates a very large fleet of aircraft. Depending on the booking number, availability of the plane, and pilot, we use different aircraft to operate different flights. As a result, the weight limit varies in different situations, so please advise us if you weigh over 130kg.

Air Safaris is a NZCAA certificated Part 135/125 Airline Operator with an approved comprehensive Safety Management System which ensures all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure your safety while on our activities.  Examples of the primary risks related to our operations are (but not limited to): slipping/falling, trip hazards, slippery surface snow/ice, walking into moving/stationary parts on aircraft, fatigue, fire, natural hazards (earthquake, avalanche, rock or ice fall etc), adverse and/or rapidly changing weather, mechanical issues, hard landings, passenger distractions.  To ensure your safety when travelling with us passengers must follow the instructions of our staff at all times, be physically capable of undertaking the activity and not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.