Empty leg flights happen when a private jet needs to be returned to its primary location or taken to a secondary location, and there are no passengers scheduled on the flights. This presents an excellent opportunity for travelers to have the private jet experience without paying private jet fees. Read on to see if flying on an empty leg flight is right for you!
The Points Guy ~ ” As the term suggests, empty legs are flights that are scheduled to fly without any passengers. These operate when an aircraft needs to reposition or return for a charter. They’re sometimes also referred to as “dead-heads,” “repositioning legs,” and “ferry flights.” According to charter-jet company XOJet, 30%-50% of the private jet charter fleet often flies empty. Empty leg flights can be as much as 75% off the standard charter price. Some private jet membership programs, such as Delta Private Jets, offer members complimentary access to empty leg flights.
Given how costly they are to operate, charter companies try to avoid having to fly empty legs in the first place. As a result, they’re often not made available until fairly last minute. The routes are also limited and there’s no way to predict availability. With these things in mind, there are two major downsides of booking empty legs. First, the flight could be canceled at any time, whether due to mechanical issues, the jet getting booked for another full-priced charter or any other reason. Unfortunately, cancellations do happen and unlike commercial airlines, the charter company would not be responsible for getting you to your destination. Second, due to the nature of empty legs, you’ll typically only be able to book it in one direction.
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While not all charter companies market them, most offer empty leg specials. After all, what company wouldn’t want to generate some extra revenue and maximize the utilization of their fleet? Additionally, there are brokers advertising other operators’ empty legs, essentially acting as a middleman, similar to online travel agencies like Expedia and Priceline. However, as with commercial flights, it’s typically best to book direct.
You can browse empty leg specials online through companies like Victor, VistaJet, Jettly, New Flight Charters, among a long list of others. Many sites even let you select your preferred departure airport and create alerts for when new deals become available. ” ~ The Points Guy
To get more details about booking and traveling on empty leg flights, click the link below.
**Please note: Due to the impact of COVID-19 on travel, we encourage people to always plan trips in accordance with the guidance provided by government and health officials.
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