What Are Empty Legs?
When a private jet is booked for a one-way charter, the aircraft must reposition — either flying empty back to its home base or to the next departure airport. These empty positioning flights are called "empty legs" and operators sell them at 50–75% below standard charter rates to offset fuel and crew costs rather than fly empty.
How Empty Legs Work in Practice
Empty legs are published by charter operators and brokers — usually 24–96 hours before the flight. Routes and times are fixed. You cannot change the departure airport, the arrival airport, or the schedule. What you can do is book all seats at a single price (the empty leg rate) and fill the cabin with your group.
Single seats on empty legs are rare in Europe — most operators sell the whole aircraft as one unit. Some US operators (JSX, Wheels Up) offer seat-based empty leg products, but this model has not taken hold in the European market.
Where to Find Empty Legs
| Platform | Type | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| PrivateFly | Broker aggregator | Europe-wide, real-time |
| Victor | Marketplace | Europe + Transatlantic |
| JetSmarter (now Wheels Up) | Seat-based | US-focused |
| Air Charter Service | Direct operator | Global |
| Jettly | App-based | Global |
Empty Leg Limitations
The best empty leg opportunities appear on high-density private jet corridors: London–Nice, Munich–Ibiza, Zurich–Palma, Frankfurt–Moscow. In August the Mediterranean legs multiply — but so does demand.
Negotiating Empty Leg Prices
Empty legs are already discounted, but operators will negotiate further if the flight is less than 12 hours away or if you book multiple legs. Always ask: "Is there a matching outbound leg available?" If yes, you can sometimes structure a round trip at two empty leg rates — saving 60%+ on a return charter.
