Trampoline parks have become an extremely popular destination for family entertainment and birthday parties. Two of the biggest franchised trampoline park companies are Urban Air and Altitude. But what’s the difference between these two brands? Which one is better for your next outing or event?
In this article, we’ll compare and contrast Urban Air and Altitude trampoline parks so you can decide which is the best fit for your needs. We’ll look at factors like pricing, amenities, size, safety, and more.
A Brief Comparison Table
Feature | Urban Air | Altitude |
Park Size | 30,000 – 50,000 sq ft | 25,000 – 40,000 sq ft |
Trampoline Courts | Interconnected with angled walls | Rectangular/square layout |
Foam Pits | Large, deep cubes | Long rectangle pits |
Ninja Course | Elaborate Warrior Course | Dedicated Warped Wall area |
Rock Climbing | Tall 20ft walls | Shorter integrated walls |
Tubes Playground | Yes | No |
Food Options | Cafe with wide selection | Basic snack bar |
Party Rooms | Fit up to 20 kids | Fit up to 15 kids |
Pricing | $19-$25 for 1 hour | $14-$19 for 1 hour |
Membership Cost | $59-$69/month | $59-$69/month |
Safety | Equally well monitored | Equally well monitored |
Overview Of Urban Air Trampoline Parks
Urban Air is one of the largest and fastest growing franchised chains of trampoline parks in the United States. As of 2023, there are over 150 Urban Air locations across the country.
Urban Air parks are massive indoor playgrounds, ranging anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 square feet. They feature wall-to-wall trampolines, foam pits, warrior/ninja courses, tube playgrounds, rock climbing walls, rope courses, bowling, arcade games, and more. Most locations even have a separate area just for smaller children under 46 inches tall called Urban Air Adventure Park.
The target demographic at Urban Air is families with kids ages 3-14. They host birthday parties and have private event rooms available for rental. Park admission starts at $19 per hour Monday-Thursday ($25 on weekends) with various membership options available.
Overview Of Altitude Trampoline Parks
Altitude is another popular trampoline park franchise with over 50 locations across the U.S. Their parks range from 25,000 to 40,000 square feet.
Altitude locations feature expansive main trampoline courts, foam pits, dodgeball courts, ninja warrior courses, warped walls, a fidget ladder, fitness classes, arcade games, virtual reality, and concessions. Most parks also have an attached Altitude Air Sports zone with trampoline dodgeball, trampoline basketball, aerial training classes, and battle beam jousting.
Their target audience skews a bit older – ages 6 through adult. Altitude parks host birthday parties, corporate events, lock-ins, and fundraisers. Walk-in admission starts at $14 per hour weekdays ($19 weekends) with monthly memberships available.
Also Read: Comparison Between DEFY Trampoline Parks Vs. Urban Air Adventure Parks
Detail Comparison Of Urban Air And Altitude
Trampoline Court Experience
The main trampoline area is likely the biggest factor when choosing a park. This is where you’ll spend most of your time bouncing!
Urban Air parks emphasize their massive main courts with interconnected trampolines surrounded by angled trampoline walls. The walls allow you to literally bounce off them for extra lift. Urban Air locations also have basketball hoops setup on the courts.
Altitude parks also have expansive main courts but they’re typically rectangular or square without the angled walls. Their courts focus more on games like dodgeball with designated strips.
Both Urban Air and Altitude use a mix of rectangular and hexagonal trampolines sourced from the same manufacturers. The beds feel pretty comparable at either franchise.
The main trampoline experience will be very similar between the two brands. Urban Air locations might feel a bit more spacious with their walls and high angled ceilings whereas Altitude has a more standard gymnasium-like court setup.
Foam Pits
Foam pits are essential for practising flips, tricks, and aerial stunts safely at a trampoline park.
Urban Air foam pits are large, deep recessed cubes lined with thick triangular foam blocks. Some locations have multiple pits together for bigger groups.
Altitude tends to have a single long rectangle foam pit at each location. They are still sufficiently deep but often not as wide as Urban Air’s square pits.
Both brands have thick high-quality foam pits that allow for flipping, spinning, and stunting. Urban Air’s design spreads people out over a larger area whereas Altitude’s elongated pits keep everyone towards the middle.
Ninja Warrior Obstacle Courses
Ninja-style obstacle courses with swinging, climbing, and balancing elements are available at both Urban Air and Altitude locations.
The courses at Urban Air are called Warrior Courses and tend to be elaborate multi-level structures with cargo nets, rings, ropes, balance beams, horizontal ladders, and monkey bars. They often intertwine with the trampoline areas.
Altitude has a dedicated ninja area called the Warped Wall with angled ascending ramps, quintuple steps, rolling logs, and spider crawls. This area is separate from the main court.
Both brands provide fun physical challenges for kids and adults. Urban Air’s setups integrate more directly with the jumping experience while Altitude’s courses focus on mastering individual obstacles.
Specialty Attractions
In addition to trampolines and foam pits, most locations have bonus specialty attractions like:
- Rock Climbing – Urban Air includes multi-lane 20ft high rock climbing walls while Altitude has lower walls integrated into their ropes course area.
- Ropes/Sky Rider – Altitude and some Urban Air parks have ropes courses with suspended tightropes and rolling logs to traverse high above the floor.
- Tubes Playground – Many Urban Air locations have multilevel structures with large clear inflatable tubes to climb and crawl through. These are especially popular with younger kids. Altitude does not offer tube playgrounds.
- Zip Line – A few Urban Air and Altitude parks have zip lines running the length of the facility for an extra thrill.
- Bowling – Some Urban Air locations have bowling lanes while Altitude does not.
- VR – Select Altitude parks offer optional VR experiences while Urban Air does not.
Urban Air tends to have more specialty attractions overall due to their larger facilities. However, Altitude offers a few unique activities like VR that aren’t available at Urban Air.
Size of Parks
As mentioned previously, Urban Air locations are significantly larger than Altitude parks on average.
Urban Air facilities span 30,000 to 50,000 square feet with high ceilings reaching 25-35ft tall. Their larger size allows Urban Air to pack in more features and spread crowds out more evenly.
Altitude locations range from 25,000 to 40,000 square feet with standard gymnasium ceiling heights around 20ft tall. Their parks feel more tightly packed together in comparison.
If you are looking for the most spacious park with the most spread-out attractions, Urban Air is likely the better choice. But Altitude parks still provide ample room and their layouts feel more intimately connected.
Food and Drinks
Having good food and drink options onsite is a nice perk for fueling up kids’ energy or celebrating a birthday.
Urban Air has an in-house cafe at every location with a variety of snacks, pizza, and sweets. Most also serve beer and wine in the evening for parents. Their food quality is above average for a trampoline park.
Altitude parks also have a snack bar selling the usual chicken tenders, fries, pizza, popcorn, candy, and soda. A handful of locations serve beer but overall, their food options are more limited.
If you’ll be spending several hours playing, Urban Air probably has the edge for onsite dining quality and selection. But Altitude still offers all the standard kid-friendly fare if you just need a quick bite.
Party Rooms
Both Urban Air and Altitude offer private party rooms for birthdays and events.
Urban Air party rooms fit around 20 kids comfortably at a long table with benches, decorations, a dedicated party host, and food packages available. Some locations have bigger event spaces.
Altitude locations have small side rooms to host birthday parties for up to 10-15 kids. Decorations and food packages are optional add-ons. Their party rooms are simpler with minimal seating.
For larger birthdays, Urban Air is the better choice to fit a bigger group. Altitude can still handle small parties but their rooms are pretty basic.
Also Read: Comparison Between Urban Air Adventure Park And Sky Zone Trampoline Park.
Safety and Staffing
It’s essential that any trampoline park prioritize safety through staff supervision, rules enforcement, and proper equipment maintenance.
Both Urban Air and Altitude use extensive padding around all attractions along with required sock use to avoid injuries. Trained court monitors are stationed throughout the park during all operating hours to enforce rules and spot flyers. Regular maintenance helps ensure equipment remains in good condition too.
Based on customer reviews, Urban Air and Altitude both receive high marks for attentive staff monitoring. Neither brand stands out as markedly safer than the other when rules are followed. They take similar precautions to protect jumpers.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing is similar between both brands with walk-in hourly rates starting around $14-19 per hour on weekdays and weekends.
Here’s how single-hour pricing breaks down:
- Urban Air Weekday Pricing
- Kids (3-6): $19
- Juniors (7-17): $19
- Adults: $19
- Urban Air Weekend Pricing
- Kids (3-6): $25
- Juniors (7-17): $25
- Adults: $25
- Altitude Weekday Pricing
- Kids (6-12): $14
- Juniors (13-17) $14
- Adults: $14
- Altitude Weekend Pricing
- Kids (6-12): $19
- Juniors (13-17): $19
- Adults: $19
Both offer monthly memberships from $59-69/month for unlimited access. Altitude memberships may have blackout dates.
For single visits, prices are very comparable. Urban Air has slightly higher weekend rates but starts at a younger kid age. Memberships cost the same at either brand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The main competitors for Altitude Trampoline Park are other national franchise chains like Urban Air, Launch, Sky Zone, and Airbound. There are also many smaller independent trampoline parks in certain markets competing for business. But Urban Air is Altitude’s closest competitor in terms of size and features.
Urban Air trampoline parks are ideal for ages 3 to 14. They allow kids as young as 3 years old in the park (with an accompanying adult). Their target demographic is families with elementary to middle school aged kids. Urban Air also has designated toddler areas for kids under 46 inches tall. Teens and adults can have fun but will find more thrill-seeking activities at competitor Altitude.
The Deluxe package at Urban Air includes 60 minutes of park access, invitations, balloons, plates, napkins and cups. The Ultimate package offers 90 minutes of park access, invitations, balloons, a thermal swag bag, a banner, specialty cups, hats or headbands, and socks in addition to the same supplies as the Deluxe package. The Ultimate package provides invites, decorations and supplies for a more memorable party.
Yes, Urban Air trampoline parks are a profitable franchise business model. According to Franchise Direct, Urban Air parks bring in average annual sales revenue of $3.9 million once stabilized, with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) averaging 45%. Initial investment costs are estimated between $9.8 – $24 million. Ongoing profitability depends on location, popularity, and effective management. But overall Urban Air is regarded as a financially successful franchise.
Here is a review video of Urban Air!
The Verdict
So, is Urban Air or Altitude the better trampoline park choice overall?
If you prioritize size, Urban Air is the winner – their massive parks have more room to spread out with additional attractions. Urban Air also offers superior food quality and bigger party rooms.
For value, Altitude comes out slightly ahead – their weekday and weekend single visit rates are a few dollars cheaper than Urban Air. But pricing is still in the same ballpark.
The main jumping experience itself is excellent at both franchises. Their rectangular trampoline beds are virtually identical in quality with plenty of floor space to bounce. Urban Air locations add more aesthetic appeal with their angled walls and ceilings.
In terms of safety and staff attentiveness, Urban Air and Altitude rank equally. As long as you follow the rules, the risk of injury is minimal and comparable at both park brands.
The best option comes down to your priorities and which amenities matter most to you. If you want a massive park with lots of features, Urban Air is the winner. For a more budget-friendly choice that still delivers trampoline fun, choose Altitude.
Either brand offers an excellent jumping experience. Urban Air and Altitude both provide amazing trampoline park experiences. With wall-to-wall aerial action, ninja courses, foam pits, party rooms, and more, you really can’t go wrong choosing either brand for bouncing bliss. Take a leap – whether you pick Urban Air or Altitude, endless family fun awaits!