Empty Legs: What is an empty leg flight?

Aviation jargon can seem like a foreign language, even to the most well-traveled jet setters. Empty leg flights have become increasingly popular in the world of private air travel, but what is an empty leg flight, and what does it mean to you?

An empty leg flight is a plane that is flying empty to reposition or return for an already booked (chartered) trip. Although aircraft operators try to accommodate schedules to avoid inefficiency, a whopping 30% of all private aircraft fly empty, creating a substantial inventory of empty leg flights.

Here are two scenarios of empty leg flights:

Repositioning empty leg: Let’s say someone chartered a private jet to fly from Miami to New York City, but the jet is currently parked in Dallas, TX. That private jet needs to fly from Dallas to Miami  – and would fly empty.

Return empty leg: Imagine someone booked a one-way private jet trip from New York to Boston. That private jet needs to return back to Boston – and would fly empty.

Empty leg flight itineraries are worldwide. 

With an XO Membership, you can find empty legs throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe at no cost for members and at wholesale pricing for non-members. These prices are for the entire jet so you can bring as many passengers as the jet can seat!

Common XO technology empty leg itineraries include but are not limited to:

San Francisco – Los Angeles
Miami – New York
Los Angeles – Las Vegas
New York – Boston
London – Paris

Dozens of empty leg flight itineraries are available daily on the XO app with real-time updates.

Empty leg flight deals generally become available 24-48 hours in advance. You can search for real-time availability for empty-leg flights with the XO mobile app. Enter frequent locations in the app to receive push notifications as soon as there’s a flight match, then seamlessly book a flight directly from the app.

XO Members can find incredible deals on empty leg flights 

Changing the World of Private Aviation

At XO, we are changing the world of private aviation – one seat at a time!

Welcome to XO, now, more than ever, putting more of the world at your fingertips!

If you would like more information about this post, please feel free to contact our team at +1-888-80-FLY-XO or schedule a call.

XO Global LLC is not a direct air carrier and does not operate any aircraft. All flights will be operated by properly licensed US or foreign air carriers. Membership is subject to the terms of the applicable Access Membership Agreement.