How to Fly Private for Less: The Complete Empty Leg Guide

What Are Empty Leg Flights?

An empty leg flight — also called a deadhead or ferry flight — occurs when a private jet needs to reposition without passengers to pick up its next charter. Rather than flying empty at a total loss, operators sell these flights at 50–75% discounts. The aircraft, the crew, and the luxury experience are identical to a full-price charter. Only the cost changes.

For the informed traveler, empty legs represent the single best value in private aviation. I've seen clients fly Miami to Aspen in a Gulfstream G450 for what they'd normally pay for two business-class airline tickets.

How to Find Empty Leg Deals Before They're Gone

Empty legs are time-sensitive and route-specific — which is exactly what makes them both exciting and frustrating. Here's how to consistently be first in line:

• Subscribe to route alerts. Tell your broker your most common routes. When an empty leg matches, you'll know immediately — often before it's publicly listed.
• Follow our empty legs page. We update it in real time as new repositioning flights become available across our network.
• Think in corridors, not exact routes. If you're flexible between Miami and Fort Lauderdale on departure, or Palm Beach and Miami on arrival, your chances of finding a match increase significantly.
• Build a relationship with your broker. Clients who've flown with us before get phone calls on hot empty legs before they're ever listed online.

The Three Rules of Booking Empty Legs Successfully

Most people who try empty legs give up after their first attempt. The ones who succeed follow three rules:

Rule 1: Flexibility wins. The route is fixed — it's going where the jet needs to go. But departure windows are often negotiable by 1–3 hours. Build your schedule around the flight, not the other way around.

Rule 2: Move fast. A desirable empty leg — say, a Challenger 350 from Teterboro to Miami for $7,800 — gets booked within hours of listing. Have your credit card ready and your travel documents current.

Rule 3: Understand the risk. Empty legs can be cancelled or rerouted if the primary charter changes. This happens less than 5% of the time with reputable operators, but it does happen. Don't book your empty leg to catch a connecting international flight with no buffer.

What to Expect on an Empty Leg

Everything you'd expect from a full charter — because it is a full charter, just repositioning. You'll board at the FBO (Fixed Base Operator) on the private side of the airport. No TSA lines, no crowds, no gate announcements. The jet will be ready, the crew will greet you, and you'll be in the air within minutes of arriving.

The cabin, the crew, the service — none of it changes because you paid less. You're filling a seat that was going empty regardless.

Is an Empty Leg Right for You?

Empty legs are ideal if you have route flexibility and can act quickly. If you need a specific route on a non-negotiable date, a standard on-demand charter gives you certainty. But for the private traveler who's done with first class and wants to experience what flying actually feels like when the airline gets out of the way, an empty leg is the smartest entry point in private aviation.

Subscribe to our empty leg alerts and let us do the work of finding your match.