New York Skyride

NY SKYRIDE is a tourism company in New York City that utilizes American Double Decker and Alexander Dennis buses for city sightseeing. NY Skyline is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skyline Multimedia Entertainment, Inc. is the holding company engaged in the global development and operation of "next generation entertainment facilities." It is located in The Empire State Building and it also features NYC's only virtual tour motion simulator attraction located on the 2nd floor. This is a multimillion-dollar attraction that opened in 1994 as a complement to the observation deck, the New York Sky ride (or NY Sky ride) is a simulated aerial tour over the city. The cinematic presentation lasts approximately 25 minutes. Currently (March 2014), tickets are Adults $59, Children $44, Seniors $41. It collects revenue from ticket sales, and sale of merchandise at its souvenir and concession areas. Its grand opening event included NYC dignitaries including former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Since its opening, the ride has gone through two incarnations. The original version, which ran from 1994 until around 2002, featured James Doohan, Star Trek's Scotty, as the airplane's pilot, who humorously tried to keep the flight under control during a storm, with the tour taking an unexpected route through the subway, Coney Island, and FAO Schwartz, among other places. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, however, the ride was closed, and an updated version debuted in mid-2002 with actor Kevin Bacon as the pilot. The new version of the narration attempted to make the attraction more educational, and included some minor post-9/11 patriotic undertones with retrospective footage of the World Trade Center. The new flight also goes haywire, but this segment is much shorter than in the original.

In addition to their Double-decker bus sightseeing options, they have teamed up with other city attractions including Circle Line, and New Yorker helicopter tours. The company engages in location-based entertainment concepts, with a philosophy of providing "entertainment for the entire family."