About Our Tours
Treat yourself (or your loved ones) to a totally new perspective!
Zeppelin flight has come to the Bay Area. The height of luxury travel at the turn of the century, airships were overtaken by the advantages of the next newest invention – the propeller driven airplane. Today and 80 years later, new technology meets old world luxury with the arrival of the Bay Area’s newest icon – the Airship Ventures Zeppelin NT.
You will enjoy leisurely paced and remarkably scenic flight. Cruising at an altitude of 1,200 feet at 35 to 40 mph, you will literally have the world at your feet. Large expansive window panels surround the cabin to allow 360° views as you walk around to take in your favorite Bay Area view. Enjoy vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, sailboats on the Bay, the Oakland Bay Bridge, Treasure Island or the headlands like you have never seen them before. Gain a perspective on the frantic nature of human daily life, taking place below you in a space squeezed by the oceans and the mountains.
We fly from three different locations; historic Moffett Field in Mountain View, Oakland Airport’s North Field and day trips and tours out of Monterey Peninsula Airport. Each location offers distinctly different sights and flight experiences. Please check with our Guest Service representatives as to which location and times works best for your travel plans. There are no difficult decisions to make, just wonderful choices!
We’re looking forward to seeing your pictures of sights from the airship. For snapshots of vistas we have seen flying on the Zeppelin in other parts of the world check out the many posts for July 2008 on our
blog.
Flight Pricing
From
Moffett Field &
Oakland
One Hour Flights1
Standard
$495
Sightseeing
Special (for 2)
$745
Group Rate Standard (12)
$5,750
Group Rate
Special (12)
$4,950
Group Rate
Special (6)
$2,475
Two Hour Flights1
Standard
$950
Sightseeing
Special (for 2)
$1,425
Group Rate Standard (12)
$11,500
Group Rate
Special (12)
$9,900
Group Rate
Special (6)
$4950
Custom routes and destinations can be planned for specific purposes within the Bay Area. Out of area flights are possible depending on distance, weather and route requirements. Please be sure to inquire with our Sales & Marketing staff for your "Special Mission" planning!
1 All fares subject to local taxes and airport fees.
Background
The initial concept for Airship Ventures was the vision of an entrepreneurial husband/wife team, who brought their love of aviation, aerospace and airships to life to create a unique, upstart company designed to bring Zeppelin airships to the skies over America for the first time in over 70 years.
Brian and Alexandra (Alex) Hall both began life with a fascination for aviation. Brian spent summers at a family retreat in upstate New York, near an aerospace museum – Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome – featuring vintage World War I aircraft. Watching dogfights there got him hooked on aviation of that era. A child of the moon-landing generation, he was also intrigued with space – building an extensive collection of model rockets.
Alex grew up dreaming of becoming an astronaut and going into space. When investigating careers, she thought about becoming a pilot so she could then become an astronaut, but discovered that, at the time, she was too short to fly commercial planes. She also had an early connection with airships – growing up near the Cardington Airship Hangars in Bedford, England. Seeing the huge airship sheds, she became fascinated with the oversized aircraft, and interested in airship history, particularly the trans-global flights of the Graf Zeppelin.
When they first met, Brian and Alex discovered they had shared interests and aspirations.
Early Days
In 2005, 14 years after starting Mark/Space, a successful company offering software to move data between mobile phones and computers, Brian was ready to start another business endeavor. While attending a software conference in Cologne, Germany in July, 2006, fate was about to step in. One of the only three Zeppelins in the world was in Cologne, offering a rare chance for Brian to fulfill one of his dreams – to ride in a Zeppelin.
One ride aboard the Zeppelin NT was all it took – Brian was hooked. Designed exclusively for passenger operations, the Zeppelin NT (“New Technology”) is unlike any other airship in the world. Engineered with the best in German technology, the airship's precise handling, and quiet, spacious cabin with oversized windows and restroom were designed for luxurious passenger operations. Realizing that there was no experience like this, and no airship technology like this in the U.S., Brian immediately embarked on his next business venture.
The Zeppelin's manufacturer, Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik (ZLT) and their operating company DZR, had been offering Zeppelin passenger rides successfully in Germany since 2001, with sold-out flights for all eight months of favorable flight weather available each year. Brian sent an email to the company, with an initial business plan to bring a Zeppelin NT to the Bay Area. Two months later, in September, 2006, he returned to convince ZLT that the American marketplace, San Francisco resident and tourist base, and more favorable flying weather in the Bay Area would make for a successful Zeppelin flight operation. They agreed. A deposit was made for the next Zeppelin NT pending production, the fourth Zeppelin NT to be constructed.
Up Ship!
On May 21, 2008, Airship Venture's Zeppelin NT emerged from Zeppelin's hangar for its maiden flight – launched with pride by the ZLT and Airship Ventures teams, and residents of its hometown of Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The Zeppelin has completed an ocean transit onboard the deck of a container ship from Europe to the U.S. A cross-country transit flight to its new home base at Moffett Field is underway. From there, the Airship Ventures Zeppelin will dazzle guests with luxurious "flight-seeing tours," from select Bay Area airports. Itineraries will include stunning tours of the South Bay/Silicon Valley, San Francisco skyline, Sonoma/Napa Valley wine country, and Monterey/Big Sur.
Airship Ventures' future business plans include the addition of a second Zeppelin airship, to be based on the U.S. east coast, followed by a third Zeppelin devoted to air shows, special events and scientific research missions. The company will also expand its facilities at Moffett Field, moving into the restored former bachelor's officers quarters building – offering facilities for catered corporate and special events.
The vision held by the company's founders is to create an organization that delivers a truly "wow" experience, with a high quality, service-oriented staff that reflects the top quality of its products. They also are excited about the broad range of possibilities for airship technology and working with NASA and others to realize those.
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