Liberty Helicopters
Liberty Helicopters (legal entity Charm Aviation) is a New York metropolitan area helicopter sightseeing and charter operator running tours and on-demand flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and Fairfield, NJ for tourists and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Liberty Helicopters does
Liberty Helicopters, operating under the legal entity Charm Aviation (DBA Charm NYC and Charm Aviation), is a New York metropolitan area helicopter tour and charter operator established in 1986. The company runs scheduled sightseeing flights and on-demand charter services from its primary base at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 6 East River Piers, with a secondary departure location in Fairfield, New Jersey (27 Wright Way). Its fleet comprises Airbus AS350 B2 and Bell 407 helicopters, supported by 101–250 employees covering pilots, maintenance, ground crew, and customer service.
The company sells approximately eight distinct tour products priced between $249 and $2,579 per person, ranging from shorter Manhattan skyline experiences to premium private and extended regional flights, plus on-demand charter services to Northeast destinations including Atlantic City, Boston, East Hampton, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Teterboro. Revenue is generated primarily through direct-to-consumer ticket sales via its flycharmny.com website (using Xola as the checkout and booking platform), supplemented by gift cards, in-flight photography services, and distribution through the GetYourGuide global tour marketplace. Ancillary charter flights and corporate or event bookings provide higher-AOV, quote-based revenue outside the standard ticket funnel.
Liberty Helicopters holds membership in Vertical Aviation International (VAI) and the Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC) industry associations, has been named a USA Today Top 10 Helicopter Tour for four consecutive years (2023–2026), and has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list. The business is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or financial statements in the source data.
Liberty Helicopters firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Liberty Helicopters
- Legal name
- Charm Aviation
- Website
- https://libertyhelicopter.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Liberty Helicopters (legal entity Charm Aviation) is a New York metropolitan area helicopter sightseeing and charter operator running tours and on-demand flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and Fairfield, NJ for tourists and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Liberty Helicopters industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Helicopter Sightseeing Tours and Charters
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Air Transportation (48121), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scenic & Sightseeing Helicopter Tours (THABAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Helicopter Sightseeing & Scenic Tours (TLAFACAD), On-Demand Helicopter Charter (Private/Corporate) (TLAFACAB)
Keywords
Where Liberty Helicopters is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Liberty Helicopters business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Group/Air Tour Tickets: Individual and group helicopter tour tickets sold directly to consumers visiting NYC. Tours range from 12-30 minutes covering various landmarks.
- Private Charter Services: Custom charter flights to destinations across the Northeast including Atlantic City, Boston, East Hampton, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and other locations.
- Photography Services: In-flight photography sales to passengers who request their tour photos after the experience.
- Gift Cards: Gift card sales for helicopter tours and charters, enabling gifting of experiences.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Manhattan Tour - 12-15 min flight, 17 landmarks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Big Apple Tour - 17-20 min flight, 22 landmarks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Empire Tour - 25-30 min flight, 25 landmarks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Aerial Experience - Private tour for up to 6 passengers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Guided Historical Aerial Tour - 30 min with expert guide, up to 5 passengers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Skyline Tour - 14+ landmarks, NYC plus NJ landmarks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Night Lights Tour - After-dark NYC skyline experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fall Foliage Tour - Limited time seasonal tour, 20+ landmarks |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Charter Services - Custom flights to Northeast destinations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Liberty Helicopters product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Liberty Helicopters operates scheduled helicopter sightseeing tours over iconic New York City landmarks from Manhattan and New Jersey departure points, alongside private charter helicopter services to destinations across the Northeast United States including Atlantic City, Boston, East Hampton, Philadelphia, Teterboro, and Washington D.C. The company runs eight distinct tour products ranging from short 12-15 minute flights to 30-minute private customizable and historically guided experiences, using a fleet of Airbus AS350 B2 and Bell 407 helicopters.
Product overview
Charm Aviation offers helicopter tour and charter services across New York City and the Northeast. The product portfolio consists of eight distinct tour products ranging from budget-friendly short tours (Manhattan Tour from $249, 12-15 minutes) to premium private experiences (Aerial Experience from $2,499, Guided Historical Tour from $2,579). Core tour products include the Big Apple Tour (most popular, 22 landmarks), Empire Tour (most comprehensive, 25 landmarks), NYC Skyline Tour, Night Lights Tour, and seasonal Fall Foliage Tour. Charter services provide private flights to destinations across the Northeast. The fleet comprises Airbus AS350 B2 and Bell 407 helicopters, with departure locations in Manhattan (Downtown, East 34th Street, West 30th Street) and New Jersey, plus access to regional airports (Teterboro, Newark, LaGuardia, JFK, Westchester).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Manhattan Tour
Quantifiable outcome
- 4 consecutive years of USA Today Top 10 Helicopter Tour recognition
Companies that use Liberty Helicopters
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Liberty Helicopters technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Liberty Helicopters partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- XolacoreBooking and checkout technology platform integrated into Charm Aviation's website for processing tour and charter reservations. Xola handles the transactional booking flow for all customer purchases.
- GetYourGuideminorThird-party travel experience marketplace that lists and distributes Charm Aviation helicopter tours to international tourists booking activities in NYC.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Liberty Helicopters competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wheels Up: Large private aviation membership and charter platform. Competes for premium NYC travelers and corporate charter customers but operates a much broader portfolio across multiple aircraft types beyond helicopter sightseeing.
- NetJets: Largest private jet fractional ownership and charter company, competing for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients seeking premium Northeast travel, including partnerships with helicopter transfer providers.
Others
- GetYourGuide: Global travel experience marketplace that distributes Liberty Helicopter tours to international tourists booking NYC activities. Functions as a key channel partner and is comparable as an experiential tourism aggregator.
- Viator: Tripadvisor-owned travel experience marketplace distributing tours and activities globally. Comparable as a distribution channel for helicopter tour inventory and as a benchmark for experiential tourism aggregation.
Emerging players
- Joby Aviation: eVTOL aircraft developer with planned urban air taxi services in NYC. Represents an emerging competitive and partnership vector as the future of short-haul urban aviation evolves.
- Archer Aviation: eVTOL developer pursuing FAA certification for urban air mobility services, including planned NYC operations. Emerging player whose commercial deployment could disrupt traditional helicopter sightseeing and charter markets.
Direct peers
- FlyNYON: NYC-based helicopter tour operator specializing in doors-off flight experiences, targeting tourists and photography enthusiasts in the same NYC sightseeing market with overlapping customer demographics.
- Helicopter Flight Services: Long-established NYC helicopter tour operator offering Manhattan sightseeing tours and charter services from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, directly competing in the same airspace and customer segments.
- Zip Aviation: NYC-based helicopter tour and charter operator flying out of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, offering similar Manhattan sightseeing tours and charter services to the Hamptons, Atlantic City, and other Northeast destinations.
- BLADE: Urban air mobility platform operating helicopter and seaplane charter and scheduled flights in the NYC metro area, including airport transfers and sightseeing. Closest direct competitor with overlapping customer base of NYC travelers and corporate clients.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Liberty Helicopters social profiles
Digital presenceLiberty Helicopters financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Liberty Helicopters leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Liberty Helicopters funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Liberty Helicopters M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Liberty Helicopters
What does Liberty Helicopters do?
Liberty Helicopters operates scheduled helicopter sightseeing tours over iconic New York City landmarks from Manhattan and New Jersey departure points, alongside private charter helicopter services to destinations across the Northeast United States including Atlantic City, Boston, East Hampton, Philadelphia, Teterboro, and Washington D.C. The company runs eight distinct tour products ranging from short 12-15 minute flights to 30-minute private customizable and historically guided experiences, using a fleet of Airbus AS350 B2 and Bell 407 helicopters.
Is Liberty Helicopters a public or private company?
Liberty Helicopters is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Liberty Helicopters founded?
Liberty Helicopters was founded in 1986. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Liberty Helicopters based?
Liberty Helicopters is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Liberty Helicopters make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Group/Air Tour Tickets are the primary driver. The others are private Charter Services, photography Services and gift Cards.
Who are Liberty Helicopters's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wheels Up and NetJets. Others are GetYourGuide and Viator. Emerging players are Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. Direct peers are FlyNYON, Helicopter Flight Services, Zip Aviation and BLADE.
Does Liberty Helicopters have an API?
No public API is recorded for Liberty Helicopters.
What industry is Liberty Helicopters in?
Liberty Helicopters's product category is Helicopter Sightseeing Tours and Charters. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABAGAE, Scenic & Sightseeing Helicopter Tours, with a secondary code of TLAFACAD, Helicopter Sightseeing & Scenic Tours. Its NAICS code is 48121 and its SIC code is 4522.