The U.S. Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations defi nes commercial air tours as "flight[s] conducted for compensation or hire in an airplane or helicopter where a purpose of the fl ight is sightseeing. "The incidence of air tour crashes in the United States is disproportionately high relative to similar commercial aviation operations, and air tours operating under Part 91 governance crash signifi cantly more than those governed by Part 135. This paper reviews the government and industry response to four specifi c areas of air tour safety concern: surveillance of fl ight operations, pilot factors, regulatory standardization, and maintenance quality assurance. It concludes that the government and industry have successfully addressed many of these tenet issues, most notably by: advancing the operations surveillance infrastructure through implementation of en route, ground-based, and technological surveillance methods; developing Aeronautical Decision Making and cue-based training programs for air tour pilots; consolidating federal air tour regulations under Part 136; and developing public-private partnerships for raising maintenance operating standards and improving quality assurance programs. However, opportunities remain to improve air tour safety by: increasing the number and effi ciency of fl ight surveillance programs; addressing pilot fatigue with more restrictive fl ight hour limitations for air tour pilots; ensuring widespread uptake of maintenance quality assurance programs, especially among high-risk operators not currently affi liated with private air tour safety programs; and eliminating the 25-mile exception allowing Part 91 operators to conduct commercial air tours without the safety oversight required of Part 135 operators. © by the Aerospace Medical Association, Alexandria, VA.