Empty legs
Empty legs, explained.
What they are, why they cost less, what can go wrong, and how to hear about the ones that fit your plans.
Where they come from
Someone else’s one-way trip, in reverse.
Charter aircraft live at a home base. Whenever a paying trip ends somewhere else, or starts somewhere else, the aircraft has to fly a leg with nobody aboard. That leg is what you can buy.
A one-way trip is booked
A family charters a jet from New York to Palm Beach for the holidays and stays for two weeks.
The aircraft has to move
It needs to get back to its base, or on to the airport where its next trip begins. Flying empty costs the operator fuel, crew time and fees.
The leg is offered at a discount
Rather than fly it empty, the operator prices the repositioning flight to sell. That is the empty leg.
Empty legs also appear at the start of a trip, when an aircraft flies out to collect its passengers somewhere else.
What they cost
Often 25–75% less than a one-way charter.
The original client has already paid for much of that aircraft’s day, so the operator can price the return flight well below a normal one-way charter. The range is wide because every leg is different.
What moves the price within that range: how soon the flight leaves, how busy the route is, the size of the aircraft, and whether the operator expects other buyers. A large-cabin jet on an empty leg can cost less than a light jet chartered one way on your own schedule.
The trade-offs
What you give up for the price.
None of these are reasons to avoid empty legs. They are reasons to book them with your eyes open, and to keep a plan B for anything you can’t miss.
Fixed route
You fly where the aircraft needs to go. A nearby airport sometimes works, such as Westchester instead of Teterboro, but any change needs the operator’s agreement and often adds cost.
Fixed timing
The departure window is set by the original trip. Some operators can move it by an hour or two; many cannot.
It can be cancelled
If the paying client changes plans, the empty leg can move or disappear, occasionally close to departure. Your charter agreement sets out the refund.
One way only
A matching return leg is rare. Most travellers pair an empty leg with a regular charter or a scheduled flight home.
Who they suit
A great fit for flexible plans.
The best empty-leg travellers know roughly when they want to go, can move a day either way, and have a backup if the flight changes.
A good fit
- Travel days that can move by a day or more
- One-way trips: heading south for the season, a second home, a one-way ski trip
- Last-minute weekends where any comfortable jet will do
- Groups who would otherwise buy several premium airline seats
- Pets travelling with you, with the operator’s approval
Not the best fit
- Weddings, board meetings and anything you can’t miss
- Fixed round trips with set dates both ways
- Trips that need a specific aircraft, cabin or range
- Large groups with heavy baggage or ski equipment
- Itineraries with several stops
Alerts
Set your empty-leg alert.
Tell us where you fly from and roughly when. When a repositioning flight fits, your advisor emails you the aircraft, the operator, the departure window and an all-in price. An alert never books anything: the flight is yours only once you sign a charter agreement.
Empty-leg alert
Takes about a minute. No membership or deposit.
Request received.
A charter advisor will email you aircraft options and an all-in price when an empty leg fits your trip.