Empty Legs: Fly Private for up to 75% Less
Empty legs — also called ferry flights or repositioning flights — are one of the best-kept secrets in private aviation. When a jet delivers a passenger to a destination, it often needs to fly back empty to its home base. That repositioning flight is an empty leg.
How Empty Legs Work
Operators offer these repositioning slots at a significant discount — typically 50 to 75 percent below the standard charter price — because the aircraft is flying anyway and any revenue is better than none.
Example: A Phenom 300E repositioning from Nice to Munich after dropping a client. Standard charter price: 8,500 EUR. Empty leg price: from 2,500 EUR for up to 6 passengers.
The Catch
- Fixed route and fixed date: you cannot change the departure city, destination or timing
- Short booking window: most empty legs appear 24 to 72 hours before departure
- Subject to cancellation if the outbound booking changes
How to Find Empty Legs
- Ask your broker: they have real-time access to their network's empty leg inventory
- Sign up to broker newsletters: many send weekly empty leg digests
- Be flexible: the more flexible your dates and route, the better your chances
Empty legs work best for leisure travel or non-urgent corporate trips where flexibility is possible. For time-critical journeys, standard charter with guaranteed routing is always more reliable.