Search and Book Empty
Leg Flights
Also known as ‘deadhead flights’, empty legs are created when an aircraft is scheduled to fly from Point A to Point B with no passengers. Empty legs are utilized by on-demand charter clients when booking one-way flights or round-trip flights which span many days, requiring different aircraft for each leg for optimal pricing.
The market for empty legs is also utilized by jet card programs and on-demand charter brokers. Most jet card providers do not own aircraft, and thus source aircraft on the open market just like on-demand brokers.
How to Find and Book Empty Leg Flights
Retail charter clients can utilize a variety of websites maintained by charter brokers, direct air carriers, and independent market aggregators to research empty legs.
Booking an empty leg does not always involve a 1:1 match of the actual empty leg routing. Empty legs are often booked by clients with similar routings paying additional costs for positioning fees.
Example: A ‘New York to Miami’ posted empty leg can be used for flights like New York to Orlando or DC to Palm Beach.
This ‘near-match’ type of booking utilizes an empty leg, costs less than a round-trip, but is priced higher than a direct match.
Upcoming trip? Affordable empty legs available via Jetvia
Browse Our Featured Empty Legs Below
| Date | Departing | Arriving | Aircraft | Seats | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/08/2025 | Denver (APA) | El Paso (ELP) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $9,100 |
| 10/08/2025 | Scottsdale (SCF) | Denver (APA) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 7 | $9,100 |
| 10/08/2025 | Aiken (AIK) | Houston (HOU) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $14,400 |
| 10/08/2025 | White Plains (HPN) | Aiken (AIK) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 7 | $12,400 |
| 10/09/2025 | Bristol Johnson Kingsport (TRI) | Teterboro (TEB) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 7 | $7,800 |
| 10/09/2025 | Lubbock (LBB) | Olathe (JCI) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $7,800 |
| 10/09/2025 | Phoenix (PHX) | Aspen (ASE) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $8,500 |
| 10/09/2025 | Jacksonville (JAX) | Manassas (MNZ) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $9,100 |
| 10/10/2025 | Columbus (CMH) | Dallas (DAL) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $16,300 |
| 10/14/2025 | Washington (IAD) | Indianapolis (IND) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 7 | $9,800 |
| 10/16/2025 | Portland (HIO) | Las Vegas (HSH) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $11,700 |
| 10/17/2025 | Cabo San Lucas () | El Paso (ELP) | Bombardier Learjet 60 | 8 | $10,400 |
How to Find and Book Empty Leg Flights
Empty leg prices vary based on routing, aircraft, and other details, like any other charter flight. But there are a few key components to be aware of when evaluating empty leg pricing.
Positioning Fees for Empty Legs
In the event of a 1:1 match of a posted empty leg and your requested routing, the price should equal the hourly rate of the aircraft x flight time, plus taxes and fees.
Direct matches are hard to find outside of major market routes like Van Nuys to Teterboro, which have heavy traffic. More commonly, ‘near matches’ are sold to one-way buyers, who pay for added fees on one or both ends of the routing.
Example: Requested routing is Boston to Aspen. Closest matching empty leg is Boston to Salt Lake City. Client pays for the added cost to fly the plane from Aspen to Salt Lake City.
Empty Leg Pricing: Aircraft Hourly Rate
The quality of an empty leg price can be evaluated based on the hourly rate of the aircraft and the number of flight hours involved. The closer a price is to point-to-point value, the better it is.
When booking an empty leg flight, it is important to understand the retail hourly rate of the plane in question.
Supply & Demand of Empty Leg Flights
The market for empty legs behaves like any other, with supply and demand forces playing a role in pricing.
Peak season and high-volume routes drive the price of empty legs up because owners are confident buyers will emerge. Conversely, sub-optimal routes with low demand tend to yield better pricing.
Do empty legs cost less than a commercial flight?
The term ‘empty leg’ has a ‘discount’ connotation to most consumers which is largely unsubstantiated in the market.
Every minute a plane flies costs its owner money, and fixed expenses like crew, handling, fuel, and maintenance all contribute to the Direct Operating Cost (DOC) of every flight.
Owners seek to recoup their DOC plus make additional revenue when they advertise an empty leg. Aircraft in the charter market exist to generate revenue not only for the owner, but for the Part 135 managers handling operations.
As departure grows near, prices typically drop for true empty legs. But in a saturated market and especially for peak season and high-volume routes, the instances of below-market empty leg bookings are rare.
Book an Empty Leg Flight
The term ‘empty leg’ has a ‘discount’ connotation to most consumers which is largely unsubstantiated in the market.
Every minute a plane flies costs its owner money, and fixed expenses like crew, handling, fuel, and maintenance all contribute to the Direct Operating Cost (DOC) of every flight.
Owners seek to recoup their DOC plus make additional revenue when they advertise an empty leg. Aircraft in the charter market exist to generate revenue not only for the owner, but for the Part 135 managers handling operations.
As departure grows near, prices typically drop for true empty legs. But in a saturated market and especially for peak season and high-volume routes, the instances of below-market empty leg bookings are rare.