For many of our regular guests, their first taste of private aviation was on an Private Jet Empty Leg flight. It may be unbelievable, but 35-40% of private jets in the air are flying empty. When you book a private jet flight, you contribute toward the cost of this empty flight - to recover other operational costs, these flights can often be on-sold at a discount of up to 75% or more.
We've even seen private jet empty legs as low as £500 one way for the entire aircraft so for the savvy traveler looking to travel swiftly, privately and in style, they can be a great way of flying private for less.
But booking an Empty Leg can come with its own challenges. As a passenger, you are required to abide by "Empty Leg Terms & Conditions" and what this essentially means is that you understand the risk that your flight may be cancelled. If the passenger on the "live" flight as we call it changes their plans, your Empty Leg flight will be cancelled. Now you will naturally receive a full refund but there is no compensation for other expenses so you need to be flexible and take into account potential cancellation changes on any land arrangements that you may have at your destination as well as other commitments.
We've put together some handy tips for you to be aware of when booking an empty leg flight.
What is an Empty Leg?
An Empty Leg occurs when a private jet has to reposition in order to pick up passengers or is returning back to its base after having dropped passengers off. These "Empty" Leg sectors are often made available to other travellers at significant discounts, often up to 75% OFF the regular air charter price.
Why are Empty Legs Good Value?
Empty Legs, due to their nature, offer extremely good value-for-money when it comes to private air travel. With discounts of up to 75% on a regularly priced flight, if you are flexible with your travel arrangements or you are able to locate a flight that meets all of your travel requirements, then you can enjoy significant savings. With so many flights operating, there is a good chance that you may find a flight that suits your requirements, but you will need to be fairly flexible and open to change.
You need to be aware of this, however!
An empty leg flight is generally positioning to or from a specific airport, on a specific day and often at a specific time. Many customers fly private for the flexibility that it offers allowing you to choose your own departure time and enjoy some degree of flexibility. If this is important to you then we highly recommend that you reserve a regular flight through our Ad-Hoc Charter portal. If you have a specific deadline or meeting then possibly an empty leg is not for you. Flight timings may be restricted by the active flights operational requirements, however, some flights may offer a date range providing you with some flexibility when it comes to date and time of departure. You will also need to be prepared for a degree of flexibility. If the active flight is amended or cancelled then this could affect your Empty Leg flight and you may have to make alternate travel arrangements. This is a very important point of which you need to be fully aware of. Empty leg flights are always one-way so you will need to ensure that your return travel arrangements (if applicable) are taken care. Alternatively, you can confirm an Active Charter with ourselves or look out for another Empty Leg! If you see an empty leg journey that corresponds with your preferred journey timeframe but not with your exact required destination, do get in touch with our team as it is sometimes possibly to merge a flight to an alternate, nearby destination, for example, an Empty Leg from London Stansted to Palma, Majorca, could easily be rerouted to depart from Manchester, Glasgow or Edinburgh for an additional charge.
When is an Empty Leg Flight a Good Idea?
You may have always wanted to fly private or simply are flexible with your arrangements and like to enjoy the best possible bang for your buck! You may be feeling spontaneous and looking for a last-minute treat, You may even be flexible as to your destination. If you are totally flexible with your departure time, could handle a delay if it happens or last-minute schedule changes then you could enjoy savings of up to 75% on private jet travel. When you are flying on an Empty Leg or Active Charter, you'll still enjoy the fabulously exclusive service of flying private!
How much does an Empty Leg Cost?
Empty Leg pricing depends very much upon distance flown and aircraft type as well as the number of passengers. Every empty leg is different and thus priced accordingly. In some instances, we have a fixed price offer for a flight, for others, we can make an offer in order to secure you the very best deal.
How to book an Empty Leg Flight?
Our dynamic system provides access to hundreds of Empty Leg flights at any one time. Simply use our efficient search system (Click Here) and enter your preferred destination and dates to see if an existing flight is available. If not, we highly recommend that you create an Empty Leg Monitor. This will flag your request in our system and provide you with automated responses if flights become available. An additional benefit is that your request also triggers a manual search by our team of potential flights that are not live in our system.
What is the booking process?
Once you/we have located a suitable Empty Leg flight for you, we will proceed with confirming the flight under your name. We will process payment and the flight contract (see below) and the Empty Leg is yours. Our team will also liase with you regarding any special requests or requirements for your flight. There is no difference in the service, only the price!
How can I make payment?
Our pricing is based upon our Bank Transfer Rates and we accept payment in GBP, USD and EUR. Funds are received by Flitestar Aviation Ltd and held on an account prior to forwarding payment to the operators. Payment or proof of payment must be received prior to any flight taking off.
What about Cancellations?
Your charter contract will detail the Operators Standard Terms & Conditions and will include Cancellation Charges if you cancel the booking in which case charges may apply. As an ethical operator we will always attempt to minimize these charges at all times. If the operator cancels your Empty Leg flight due to a change in the Active Flight then you will receive either a credit for future travel or a full refund. Please remember, though, that neither Flitestar Aviation Ltd or the flight operator will not be held responsible for any charges incurred by yourself in the event that an Empty Leg is cancelled.
Where can I travel on an Empty Leg?
With private air travel the world really is your oyster. Empty Leg flights are available all over the world and our team are on hand to assist you no matter where you are based or where you are travelling to.