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AIRPORT TRANSFERS // WEATHER / FLYING CONDITIONS

Weather is often the most limiting factor with helicopter transfers to mountainous regions and Val Thorens. Resort or airport weather conditions will dictate if a flight is possible or not. Due to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) helicopters cannot fly in poor visibility, or in bad weather.

When arriving at the airport please understand that just because the weather is good, it does not mean that the weather is good in Val Thorens or vice versa. It could be beautiful sunshine with clear blue skies at the airport, but in Val Thorens it could be snowing heavily, weather in the mountains can be very localised!

The Whitetracks Advantage
A major advantage of using Whitetracks Helicopters is our ability to find helicopters that can fly when others cannot! By booking your with Whitetracks Helicopters you get an added bonus, an added flexiblity that you would not otherwise receive when using a different helicopter company or helicopter operator!

Through our extensive knowledge, experience and longstanding relationships with numerous helicopter companies we ultimately know who has what types of helicopter as well as knowing where all these different helicopters are based. With this knowledge it is sometimes possible to change the helicopter operator last minute to ensure that some or even the majority of your helicopter airport transfer takes place!

Whitetracks Helicopters can do this because we have access to a large fleet of helicopters based in a number of different resorts throughout the whole of the French alps as well as an equally large if not greater fleet of helicopters based in the surrounding areas of and specifically based at all the airports that Whitetracks Helicopters service.

If you book a helicopter with a different helicopter company or even directly with a helicopter operator, the helicopter you have booked maybe based in a specific resort. As said above, weather in the mountains can be very localised, it may be the case that the helicopter you have booked cannot get out of the resort from where it is based. This means it will not be able to collect you from the airport in order to swiftly transport you to your chosen resort, a resort that is different to the one where your booked helicopter is based, a resort where the weather is ok to fly.

Another example would be if the weather is bad at the airport maybe low lying fog stopping all the helicopters landing at the airport. The chances are the helicopter operator that you have booked with will make the decision not to take off from their base resort or maybe the helicopter you booked is based at the airport itself meaning the helicopter is grounded, not even able to take off! Through our knowledge of all the operators it is possible that we will know of a temporary drop zone that is exclusive to one maybe two helicopter operators just out of the fog close to the airport that we can use.

Please note if we are able to provide an alternative option we will contact you before we proceed in order to gain your acceptance and permission. Whitetracks Helicopters cannot always guarantee to replace your chosen helicopter with the same type and there may be an increase in price due to using a different operator. Whitetracks Helicopters will inform you of all the details in order that you can make an informed decision.

If the helicopter can fly without risk to the passengers and pilot then the helicopter will fly. For reasons of safety, in the event of weather degradations, Whitetracks Helicopters reserves the right to cancel the flight before take-off or to divert the helicopter during the flight which may also lead to an increase in the helicopter cost.

In the case of cancellation due to bad weather conditions, Whitetracks Helicopters ensures a transfer service by car and chauffeur (contingency plan) from the airport to Val Thorens and vice versa. Please inform Whitetracks if you do not require this alternative transportation. If you choose to take the alternative transport Whitetracks will refund you the difference between the helicopter transfer cost and the cost of the road transfer minus any charges incurred by Whitetracks.