Empty legs can be one of the better value ways to fly private, but the saving comes with real trade offs. This guide explains what an empty leg is, why it is discounted, and what you give up in return.
An empty leg is a repositioning flight that an aircraft is already going to make without passengers. After dropping a client at a destination, or before collecting one, an operator often needs to fly the aircraft to another airport. Rather than fly it empty, the operator may offer that leg at a reduced price.
Because the aircraft and crew are already committed to the movement, the operator can sell the seat or the cabin for less than a normal one way charter on the same route.
A normal charter prices in the full cost of putting an aircraft on your route, including any repositioning. An empty leg removes much of that, because the repositioning is happening regardless. The discount reflects the operator recovering some value from a flight that would otherwise earn nothing.
The saving against an equivalent one way charter can be meaningful, but it is not fixed. It depends on the aircraft, the route, and how close to departure the leg is offered. We do not publish live legs that we cannot honour, so treat any figure as indicative until confirmed.
An empty leg is defined by the operator, not by you. The date, the departure airport, and the destination are fixed by the flight the aircraft was already making, so flexibility is limited. Timing can shift or the leg can disappear entirely if the original booking that created it changes.
Empty legs suit travellers who can be flexible on timing and who have a backup plan. If your dates are firm or the route is unusual, an on demand charter gives you control that an empty leg cannot.
Empty legs appear at short notice and move quickly, so the practical approach is to register your routes and dates and let opportunities come to you. Subscribe to The Flight Deck below and tell us the city pairs you fly, and we will flag matching repositioning flights when they arise.
When a leg fits, confirm the aircraft, the firm timing, and exactly what the price includes before you commit, just as you would for any charter.
Tell us the routes and dates you fly. We will watch for matching empty legs and return on demand options when timing is firm.
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