Dubai helicopter or hot air balloon: prices, age and weight limits, hours and refunds

Our listing says the flight is flown by Falcon Helitours from the Atlantis heliport on Palm Jumeirah. Falcon's own tours page prices its 12-minute flight, the Pearl Heli Tour, at AED 715 a seat when sharing, VAT included. Its Exclusive Flight, for up to 6 people, is AED 3,145. Its booking step, read for 10 November 2026, showed the same three package prices: AED 715 sharing, AED 3,145 exclusive and AED 3,670 for an exclusive 7 seater.

Falcon's Iconic Tour is 17 minutes at AED 979 a seat. Our listing's title says Iconic but its flight is 12 minutes. That is a difference of names, not of fact about the flight: the 12 minutes matches Falcon's Pearl, and our listing does not say which Falcon package it is.

Our listing's price of AED 710 a person is AED 5 below Falcon's AED 715 a seat when sharing. Ours is a from price for a person; Falcon's is a price per seat with VAT included, and Falcon says every passenger aged 2 and over needs their own seat at full price.

Falcon's FAQ says only passengers aged 2 and over may fly and each must buy a seat; children under 2 are not allowed. Children aged 2 to 12 may not fly alone and must be accompanied by a guardian. Our listing sets its minimum age at 2 as well, but its children's counter begins at 3, so we cannot say what a two-year-old pays with us.

When sharing, the weight limit is 110 kg per passenger per seat. A passenger at or near that weight must buy a second seat, and Falcon cannot fly anyone who needs a seat belt extender. An exclusive flight has a total limit of 450 kg. Pregnant passengers may fly up to 32 weeks, and Falcon strongly recommends their doctor's approval.

Check-in closes at least 45 minutes before departure, and Falcon may release the flight of a latecomer. Only cameras, phones and sunglasses may be taken on board, and a locker is free. Our listing also asks for an original passport or Emirates ID for every passenger.

Our listing names no operator for the balloon, and we have no operator page to read, so every figure here is our listing's own and none is checked against a venue. It describes a 40-minute experience from AED 850 a person, with a start time of 06:00 and a guide in English.

Its rules say passengers under 6 or over 80 are not permitted to fly, though the pilot may decide anyone's eligibility, with a maximum of 90 kg, and that pregnant women will not be allowed to fly. A waiver form must be filled in 24 hours before the flight, and valid photo ID must be carried.

Our listing is not consistent on how you reach the balloon. Its itinerary says you are collected before dawn and driven to the launch site, and its meeting point reads pre-dawn pickup from your Dubai address. Its FAQ says hotel pickup is not included and you make your own way to the meeting point. We cannot say which is right.

Falcon's terms say it operates daily around the year from 10:00 to 17:00 from the Atlantis helipad, depending on weather. Our helicopter listing shows a start time of 09:00, an hour before Falcon's first hour. We cannot say which the helipad follows.

The balloon's listed start is 06:00, and Falcon's hours begin at 10:00.

Falcon's terms refund 100% if the tour is cancelled more than 48 hours before departure, 50% from 24 to 48 hours before, and nothing for less than 24 hours. Its FAQ says a flight can be rescheduled free if you contact it more than 24 hours ahead. If poor visibility stops a flight and it cannot be rescheduled, Falcon says it is fully refundable if booked through Falcon.

Both our listings are non-refundable once confirmed. Falcon's scale refunds in cases ours does not; a ticket bought here carries our rule, and we cannot say whether Falcon would apply its own scale to it. Our helicopter listing adds that flights are rescheduled rather than flown if conditions are unsafe.