Why take a five-hour bus ride from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim when you can fly there in 45 minutes?

Papillon provides the flight daily for under $200 per person on its website (nearly 40 percent off the retail price.). The package includes hotel pick up and drop off, a light meal, and a luxury bus transfer to the Grand Canyon Village.

Is it possible to make this superb air package even better? The answer is YES. How? Add a thrilling helicopter ride and you just locked down an adventure that travelers are calling the Canyon’s “super-trip.” The helicopter is a 30-minute ride that soars across the pine-covered South Rim and into the Canyon’s famous Dragoon Corridor, which is the widest, deepest part of the Canyon.

I’ve read a lot of posts on forums like Trip Advisor and Virtual Tourist in which travelers put the South Rim on their “to-do” list, only to scratch it off because the bus ride is too time-consuming. Papillon’s airplane tour changes that by completing the 270-mile trip in under an hour! In other words, you can enjoy all the South Rim has to offer and be back on The Strip by late afternoon.

Papillon uses a fleet of Vistaliner fixed-wing aircraft for this trip. Built specifically for sightseeing, these planes feature huge windows, climate-controlled cabins, and oversized seats. Trip narratives are pre-recorded in multiple languages and can be heard via headset. Turbine engines power these flights instead of rotor ones so you get a smooth, quiet flight.

Papillon’s airplane and helicopter pilots are some of the best in the business. Each pilot must pass the company’s rigorous entrance exam and be re-certified annually. Two pilots – a Captain and a First Officer – are on board for each airplane tour (helicopters are flown by one.) and know the Grand Canyon airspace better than any other tour company flying it.

The plane lands in Tusayan, AZ, at the Grand Canyon Airport, which is several miles away from the main entrance to the National Park. You’ll board a bus and drive to the South Rim’s key viewing points before arriving at Bright Angle Lodge for souvenirs and snacks.

Back at the airport, you will board your plane back to Las Vegas or transfer to a helicopter for your flight over the South Rim. This heli tour is spectacular giving you incredible views of the Rim’s unique landscape and the Canyon itself with its sheer cliffs, red spires, and the North Rim. Lots of people say the helicopter tour gives their ground tour extra significance.

Taking an airplane trip like Papillon’s Grand Canyon Deluxe to the South Rim is the quickest way to enjoy the most famous part of the Canyon. No longer do you have to ride a bus for five hours – the plane can get you there in 45 minutes, making it the perfect alternative for people with limited time and who want to comfortably visit the South Rim in less than a day. Upgrading to include a helicopter tour makes an already great trip even better, as the helicopter gives you a bird’s eye view of what you’ve explored by foot. If you want to really “see” the South Rim, book a Grand Canyon airplane tour by Papillon

Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim in 45 minutes? Take an airplane. Travel writer Keith Kravitz reviews and rates airplane tours at http://www.GrandCanyonAirplaneTours.net