★★★★★
Organised and professional, with a clean, smooth flight and a pilot who pointed out everything.
Hayley_P · Family · December 2025
New York Night Helicopter Tour from Linden, New Jersey
Helicopter flight25 to 30 min in the airLinden Airport, New JerseyYou pick the flight time
A shared helicopter flight of 25 to 30 minutes over the harbor and Manhattan after dark, from an airfield in Linden, New Jersey, at a departure time you choose. Up to six share the cabin, the pilot narrates through the flight, and the landing fees and fuel surcharge are already in the fare. Of the night flights here, it has by far the most reviews: 664.
Half an hour in the air, at the hour you pick
You choose the time
Pick a slot after full dark: about 9pm in June, about 5pm in December.
25 to 30 minutes flying
Over the harbor, Lower Manhattan, Midtown and up the Hudson.
Up to six in the cabin
A shared flight, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a climate-controlled cabin.
Fees and fuel in the fare
Landing, facility and fuel charges are included, not added at check-in.
A shuttle from the station
Free from Linden's train station, on request, or ten minutes by taxi.
4.7 from 664 reviews
564 of them five stars, for the pilots, the organisation and the view.
Getting to Linden
Every night flight over New York leaves from New Jersey, and this one flies from Linden Airport, at the main terminal at 1101 West Edgar Road in Linden. You can drive, or take an NJ Transit train from Penn Station in Manhattan to Linden. From the Linden train station the operator runs a free shuttle if you ask for it when you book; otherwise it is about a ten-minute drive by Uber, Lyft or a local taxi.
Check-in is 50 minutes before your flight time, so work back from there: allow for the train, the shuttle and the check-in, and do not plan a dinner reservation in Manhattan just before. Where Linden sits against the other airfields and the piers is on the meeting-point map, and our post on getting to the airfields goes through the journey step by step.
25 to 30 minutes over the lit city
After take-off the helicopter flies over Newark's airport toward the harbor. The first sight is the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then the towers of Lower Manhattan with One World Trade Center among them. The route runs up the Hudson past Midtown, where the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the United Nations are in view, north to the George Washington Bridge, and then back to land at Linden. The pilot narrates all the way.
There are no stops, and nothing to enter: everything on this evening is seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Up to six people share the cabin, and not every seat faces forward, so where you sit decides which side of the river you see best.
Choosing a time after dark
This is the one evening on the site where you pick the hour, so pick it by the sky. The listing lets you choose any departure the operator has open; to see the city lit rather than at dusk, book a slot after full dark for your date.
| When | Sunset | Full dark |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-January | 4:53pm | 5:23pm |
| Mid-April | 7:35pm | 8:04pm |
| Mid-June | 8:29pm | 9:02pm |
| Mid-September | 7:05pm | 7:32pm |
| Mid-November | 4:38pm | 5:07pm |
| Mid-December | 4:29pm | 5:00pm |
Times are for Midtown from the U.S. Naval Observatory. In June that means a slot after about 9pm; in December anything after about 5pm is dark. Weather and dark times has the rest of the months.
What is included: fees and fuel
The $330 fare is for one seat on a shared flight, and it already includes the heliport landing and facility fees and the fuel surcharge, so the price at booking is the price at check-in. The only extra on sale at the airfield is a souvenir photograph. The same kind of flight also leaves from Essex County Airport in Fairfield, further north in New Jersey.
| This flight | From Fairfield | From Fairfield, lowest fare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fare a seat | $330 | $334 | $275 |
| Airfield | Linden, NJ | Fairfield, NJ | Fairfield, NJ |
| In the air | 25 to 30 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes | Not listed |
| Fees and fuel | In the fare | In the fare | All fees and taxes in the fare |
| From Midtown | Train from Penn Station | About 45 minutes by taxi | Taxi or bus |
| Weight limit | 275 lb | 275 lb | 250 lb |
Linden is the one you can reach by train from Penn Station; Fairfield is a taxi of about 45 minutes from Midtown, or the Lakeland bus from Port Authority. Every flight and plane is compared on our page of night helicopter tours.
ID, weight and the locker rule
Bring a current government-issued photo ID: without it you do not fly. For the balance of the aircraft, passengers over 275 pounds may not be able to fly, and anyone who needs a seat-belt extender cannot. Bags are inspected, and only a camera, a phone and sunglasses go on board; free lockers hold everything else. Every passenger signs a waiver before flying.
The flight is listed as wheelchair accessible, and service animals are allowed. Children must fly with an adult, and under-2s sit on an adult's lap at no charge.
Important. Weather or too few passengers can ground a
flight, and then you choose a new date or a full refund. Book it early in your stay so a new date
is still possible, and check what to expect on the night for the
rest of the rules.
The evening, step by step
- From Manhattan. An NJ Transit train from Penn Station to Linden, or drive.
- At the station. The free shuttle, booked in advance, or a ten-minute taxi.
- 50 minutes before. Check in with photo ID, sign the waiver, lock your bags away.
- Take-off. Over Newark's airport toward the harbor.
- The flight. The statue, Lower Manhattan, Midtown and the Hudson, north to the George Washington Bridge.
- Landing. Back at Linden 25 to 30 minutes after take-off, then the shuttle or a taxi to the train.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book it if
- This is the splurge of the trip, a birthday or an anniversary.
- You want the whole city at once, the harbor and Midtown in one view.
- You want to choose the hour yourself, and make it a dark one.
- Someone in your party uses a wheelchair: the flight is listed as accessible.
Book something else if
- You would rather take a taxi than a train. The flight from Fairfield costs $334 a seat, about 45 minutes by taxi from Midtown.
- You want the aircraft to yourselves. The private plane from Linden costs $178 a person for about 45 minutes, and it cannot be refunded.
- You want the statue from the water for far less: the sunset cruise from West 42nd Street costs $45.
- You want every flight side by side first: see our night helicopter tours.
What $330 covers, and what it leaves out
In the fare
- Shared helicopter flight
- Live pilot narration
- Floor-to-ceiling windows and a climate-controlled cabin
- Heliport landing and facility fees
- Fuel surcharge
- Free shuttle from Linden train station, on request
Not in the fare
- Souvenir photos (for sale)
- The train to Linden and back
- Bags on board: they go in the free lockers
Know before you go
- Photo ID. A current government-issued photo ID, or you do not fly.
- Check in 50 minutes early. Allow for the train and the shuttle on top.
- Weight. Over 275 pounds may be unable to fly; no seat-belt extenders.
- Travel light. Only a camera, phone and sunglasses on board; free lockers for the rest.
- Children. With an adult; under-2s sit on a lap at no charge.
- Weather. If it grounds the flight, you choose a new date or a full refund.
What travellers said back on the ground
★★★★★
A great experience, and the crew collected the party from the Linden station and took them back.
Anthony_G · Family · September 2026
★★★☆☆
The city lights were worth the trip to Linden, but some seats face backwards, which would have changed the booking.
Jeongwon_L · November 2023
Frequently asked questions
How do we get there from Manhattan?
Take an NJ Transit train from Penn Station to Linden, then the free shuttle, booked in advance, or a ten-minute taxi. Check-in is 50 minutes before the flight.
Can we choose the time?
Yes, any departure the operator has open. Pick one after full dark: about 9pm in June, about 5pm in December.
What can we bring on board?
Only a camera, a phone and sunglasses. Everything else goes in the free lockers at the airfield.
Is there a weight limit?
Passengers over 275 pounds may not be able to fly, and seat-belt extenders are not available. Tell the operator before you book if it may apply.
What happens if the weather is bad?
The operator may cancel for weather or too few passengers. You then choose a new date or a full refund.
Is there something on the water instead?
Yes. The sunset cruise from West 42nd Street passes within about 100 feet of the statue, for $45 a person.
Other ways to see the city lit up
Ready to fly over the lit city?
Choose the time for your date, with a full refund up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability