Flying a Private Jet is Not as Hard or as Expensive as You Think

Have you ever thought of looking for an empty leg flight on a private jet?

Before reading this article, I had never thought of it. I had actually never heard of “empty leg flights.” Today, I have a guest post to tell us all about this alternative way of travel. I hope you learn as much as I did!

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Flying is not as romantic and comfortable as it was back in the fifties and sixties when adventurous men and women not only dressed for the occasion, but even those in economy class they had plenty of room to stretch their legs while stewardesses (now called flight attendants) doted on them with fine wines and only the best, well prepared in-flight food (even steaks and lobster tails).

These days, flying commercially is more like being stuffed into a sardine can and the lid being sealed shut. No one takes pride in their wardrobe, and the food is as close to inedible as possible. In fact, I don’t even eat the meals served on commercial long-haul flights that can last upwards of twelve hours or so. I bring my own food.

But what can you do to make flying fun again, comfortable, and even luxurious for not a lot of money?

The answer is the empty-leg flight on a private jet. So then, the obvious question is how to find empty-leg flights that are relatively inexpensive?

According to a recent travel article by The Points Guy, flying private is on almost every globe-trotting traveler’s bucket list. There’s a good reason for this. Besides having the luxury of an entire plane to yourself, flying private also comes with a certain level of convenience that’s impossible when it comes to commercial cattle car airliners. You fly according to your own schedule. You don’t need to be bothered by security or boarding groups, or overhead luggage bins that are filled even before you board the plane.

If you’ve done even some basic Google searching for the most inexpensive way to attain the experience of flying a private jet, you might have come across the term, “empty leg.” It turns out, empty-leg flights are an excellent way to get yourself a highly discounted private jet charter. But, with empty-leg flights, your travel plans require flexibility (if you’re single and self-employed this is a no-brainer). There are other key details you need to know about empty legs flights. Here are just a few of them.   

Defining an Empty Leg Flight

As the term “empty” suggests, these are private charters that have already been scheduled to fly, but there are no passengers, usually due to cancelations. But the plane still needs to fly since it requires heading to a location where another charter is waiting. Empty leg flights are sometimes referred to as “ferry flights,” “repositioning legs,” and “dead-heads.” Says one charter jet company, an amazing 30 to 50 percent of all private jet charters often fly empty.  

This means you can get an empty-leg flight for a 75 percent discount over the normal charter price. And get this: some private jet membership programs offer super highly discounted flights or complimentary access to empty-leg flights. Talk about flying the friendly skies in style and on the cheap.

But because charter flights are expensive to operate, they naturally attempt to avoid empty-leg flights to begin with. This is why they’re not made available until the last minute. Routes can also be limited since there’s little way of predicting availability. Again, if you’re a free-spirit, and flexible, this shouldn’t pose a problem for you.

Downsides of Empty Leg Flights

With the good comes the bad. That said, there are two major downsides of booking empty leg flights. The first is that the flight can be canceled on a whim due to the jet suddenly getting booked at full charter price or a mechanical issue forcing the private jet to be grounded for the time being. 

Cancellations are an unfortunate reality of empty-leg flights, and like commercial airliners, private jet operators are not responsible for getting you to your desired destination.

Secondly, empty-leg flights are not round-trip flights. They are almost always one way. This means you need to find your way back home, that is, you wish to return anytime soon.

How Empty leg Flights Differ from Traditional Charters

Empty-leg flights can be similar to traditional charters in that you’ll only need to arrive at the airport a few minutes prior to takeoff. But keep in mind that empty legs schedules are stricter, which means there’s very little flexibility in delaying the flight because you’re stuck in traffic. On a good note, unless you’ve paid for just one seat, you will likely enjoy the entire jet.  

While this sounds like heaven above the clouds, note that there will be either limited catering or no catering on board. But snacks, basic alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks are usually available. Just like regular charters, empty-leg flights always list the model and type of aircraft you’ll be flying.

But again, empty-leg flights aren’t guaranteed to fly and therefore can be canceled at any moment. It’s best to have a backup option or be entirely prepared to cancel your trip. Again, flexibility is key when it comes to empty-leg travel and flying in a private jet on the cheap.  

How to Go About Booking an Empty Leg Flight

Now for the part you’ve been anxiously waiting for. How do you go about booking an empty-leg flight? While not many private charter companies advertise them, almost all offer empty leg deals. This only makes sense since getting some money for flying is better than getting nothing at all should a client cancel for one reason or another.    

Also, you can find brokers who actively advertise other private charter’s empty-leg flights. These businesses act as a sort of middleman, akin to online travel agencies like Priceline and Expedia. But like flying commercially, you are said to be better off booking your flight directly.    

You can search for empty-leg flights right on your smartphone or laptop via numerous charter and travel companies. You might even ask your preferred travel agent to do the research for you if you don’t mind spending a few bucks. Your agent will likely allow you to select your preferred departure airport, and she will alert you when a deal is made available. So always have your bag packed and ready to go.  

Empty Leg flights usually mean the entire aircraft is at your disposal. But in some cases, you can book just one seat, which means you’ll get even more of a discount. Again, be prepared for the flight to be canceled.

Empty-leg flights are an excellent way to fly the friendly skies, but you must be flexible and on top of what planes are flying and which are grounded. Bon voyage.