Reduce Your Jet Charter Cost with an Empty Leg
The term “Empty Leg” is used to describe a private jet that is returning home empty to its original base airport after a one-way trip, or a plane that needs to relocate to another airport to for its next charter flight and does not have any passengers on board.
Also known as a “Dead Head Flight”, many aviation professionals have started to market these planes with more competitive, aggressive pricing – since the full trip was already paid for, these flights are sold just to offset the aircraft owners’ cost instead of flying the aircraft empty.
Not all aircraft owners will allow on-demand charter passengers to use empty leg flights, which makes them more difficult to locate.
Empty Leg Jets should not be confused with one-way flights, especially now that many companies are marketing “one-way” or “Point-to-point” pricing in an effort to capture clients in the charter market. More often than not, a one-way flight will be billed as a full round trip, whereas empty planes will be billed at a much lower rate, creating a true one-way pricing structure.
Most aircraft operators are looking to cover their crew costs, landing and ramp fees, in addition to fuel costs when offering these flights.
Choosing to use empty legs allow savvy flyers with a flexible schedule to benefit from substantially lower rates, while offsetting more of the owner’s cost. In many cases, it is a Win-Win.
It is very important to note that Empty Leg pricing is NOT standard pricing. You are saving a lot of money by booking an empty leg over a “live” leg, however, it may come at a cost to your convenience. For example, if the passenger/owner who booked the “live” leg of the trip decides to cancel their flight, the empty leg that you booked will suddenly become unavailable and your booked trip will be canceled. Additionally, if the passenger/owner of the live leg decides to change their departure time, it can start a domino effect and you will be required to change your departure time to accommodate their change. It is risky, but if you are willing to take the risk – there are savings up to 75% off the normal flight cost.
Who Can Benefit from Empty Legs?
One-way flyers with flexible schedules are best suited for empty legs, although many flyers are starting to take advantage of piecing together two empty flights to create a round trip.
This generally works best if you are staying in your destination for more than a few nights. These allow flyers to save money and help the environment by filling empty planes, which creates a win-win scenario.
It’s important to note that the market for empty jets is constantly changing as new routes are created and flights are booked.
Don’t be fooled by “one-way pricing” being marketed by other companies – request a quote or give us a call, and make sure you ask one of our brokers about available empty legs for your upcoming trips!
How Can I Find Empty Legs Near Me?
While some operators market empty planes on their websites, they’re limited to the aircraft within their fleet, and the routing, departure times, and price of these deadhead charter flights are often non-negotiable.
Another issue is visibility – there are hundreds of companies offering them, they’re often made available within 2-3 days notice, and once they’re listed, they’re booked quickly. Trying to find an empty leg near you can be difficult, even for seasoned private flyers.
Instead, request availability on empty planes from Air Charter Advisors. We have instant access to a global fleet of more than 10,000 luxury and business jets, increasing the chances of finding an empty plane that matches your schedule and destination. We’re also able to negotiate with operators to offer the absolute best price for our clients, with savings of up to 75% off average charter flight pricing!
Submit a FREE Request for an Empty Leg Flight
Request a Quote or give us a call at 1-888-987-5387 to speak with one of ourbrokers about potential empty planes available for your upcoming flights. Our representatives are available for you by phone and email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When using our private aviation service, you can expect quick response times and an easy, hassle-free booking process. Our brokers can arrange everything from multi-city private flights with in-flight catering to luxury ground transportation and private helicopter lifts.