What Are Empty Leg Flights, and How Do You Actually Book One?

Empty leg flights are private jet trips flown with no paying passengers on board, usually because the aircraft has to reposition after dropping off a previous charter. Operators would rather sell that repositioning flight at a reduced rate than fly it with empty seats, which is why empty legs are often the cheapest way to fly private. This guide explains what empty leg flights are, how they are priced, and the exact steps to book one.

What Are Empty Leg Flights?

A private jet is rarely booked for a return journey with the same passengers. More often, a client charters a one-way flight, and the aircraft then needs to fly back to its base, or on to its next confirmed job, with no one on board.

That repositioning flight is the empty leg. Rather than absorb the full cost of flying it empty, the operator lists the seats for sale, often at a fraction of the standard charter price.

You may also see the term "deadhead flight", which is the American equivalent and refers to the same thing. Both describe a flight the aircraft was going to make anyway, sold on to a new passenger.

Because the route, date, and rough departure time are already fixed by the original booking, an empty leg cannot be customised the way a standard charter can. You are booking a seat on a flight that already exists, not commissioning a new one.

How Much Do Empty Leg Flights Cost?

Charter brokers commonly advertise empty leg discounts of 25 to 75 percent off the standard one-way charter price for the same route and aircraft. The table below shows how that plays out across aircraft categories, using a roughly one-hour sector as an illustrative example.

*Prices are indicative and vary with availability, season, and positioning.

It is worth treating that discount range as a ceiling rather than a promise. Business Jet Traveler reports that pricing depends heavily on how the original charter was sold and how urgently the aircraft needs to reposition, noting plainly that "there is no rule of thumb" and that flyers should not always expect deep discounting. Some empty legs are genuinely cheap. Others are only modestly reduced.

The Trade-offs: What You Give Up for the Discount

An empty leg is a real saving, but it comes with less control than a standard charter.

The route and date are fixed. You are choosing from flights the aircraft is already making, not requesting your own itinerary.

The departure window is often approximate rather than an exact time, partly to avoid the flight looking like a scheduled airline service rather than an on-demand charter. Build in flexibility either side of your preferred time.

Cancellation risk sits with the original booking. If the charter that created the empty leg is cancelled or changes, the empty leg built around it disappears too, according to Business Jet Traveler, even if you have already paid for it.

Availability also tends to surface late. Operators generally know their own schedules only a few days out, so most empty legs appear on short notice, sometimes inside 24 to 72 hours of departure, rather than weeks in advance.

How to Book an Empty Leg Flight

Booking an empty leg is quicker than arranging a bespoke charter, but it rewards a bit of preparation.

1. Decide how flexible you can be

Empty legs work best when your dates, and ideally your destination, are not fixed. Before you start searching, settle on the range of dates you could travel and a shortlist of airports you would accept at either end of the route.

2. Search live empty leg listings

Check FastPrivateJet's empty leg listings, or contact the team directly with your flexible dates and preferred region. Because inventory changes daily as new charters are booked and completed, it pays to check often rather than once.

3. Confirm the aircraft, operator, and safety credentials

Before you commit, confirm which aircraft type you would be flying, how many seats are available, and which operator holds the Air Operator's Certificate, the licence that permits a company to fly paying passengers commercially. A broker such as FastPrivateJet can confirm this on your behalf.

4. Move quickly and get written confirmation

Empty legs are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and can be withdrawn if the original charter changes. Once you are happy with the price, route, and approximate timing, confirm in writing and ask what happens to your payment if the flight is cancelled.

5. Build in a backup plan

Because the departure window is approximate and cancellation risk sits with someone else's booking, avoid scheduling an empty leg immediately before a fixed commitment, such as a connecting commercial flight or an event with a hard start time.

What to Check Before You Confirm

A few questions are worth asking any operator or broker before you pay for an empty leg.

Ask what the cancellation and refund policy is if the originating charter falls through. Not every seller offers a rebate, and it is far better to know this before you book than after.

Ask for the exact departure airport and, where relevant, ground transport times to it. Empty legs sometimes depart from a secondary airport near your intended city rather than the main one.

Ask which FBO, the Fixed Base Operator, meaning the private aviation terminal used for check-in and boarding, will be used at each end, since this affects how smooth your arrival and departure will be.

Sources

• Making the Most of Empty Legs - Business Jet Traveler
• European Business Aviation Association - EBAA