Advantages of "Empty Legs"
May 28, 2024
Empty leg charter flights can be a great option for flyers looking for cost efficiency when booking a private jet.
In the private aviation industry, “empty legs” may also be referred to as “one-way flights,” “empty flights,” “deadheads,” “repositioning legs,” or “ferry flights.”
No matter what you call them, these are private jets that have dropped off their passengers and are now going to fly empty on their way to either pick up new passengers at another destination or return to their home base.
Generally, the empty seats on these flights can be booked at lower prices, offering a great advantage to private flyers with flexible schedules.
For example, suppose a private jet is chartered to fly from Los Angeles to Colorado. Once it arrives in Colorado and its passengers deplane, the private aircraft would not have anyone on board for its return flight to its home base in Los Angeles. Or, if it is scheduled to go from Colorado to another location to pick up more passengers, it would fly empty to get there — an empty leg.
Current estimates are that anywhere from 30% to 50% of private jet charter fleets often fly empty. If you have flexibility in your travel plans, you may find some attractive charter rates on empty legs.
Searching Empty Leg Flights Through XO
XO offers access to empty leg flights every week through our website and the XO mobile app. Empty leg routes are located in the Current Jet Deals section of our website homepage. On the XO mobile app, empty leg routes can be found by scrolling down to Jet Deals and clicking “View all.”
The World’s Premier Global Private Aviation Network
Through XO, you can access over 2,400 safety-vetted premium private jets, fly anywhere, anytime, and reach 2,200 airports around the world. XO is a great source for finding empty leg flights every week. XO is part of Vista, the world’s leading global private aviation group covering 96% of the world.