--- title: "What Are Empty Leg Charters? - SherpaReport" description: "If you have some flexibility in your search for private aviation travel, then empty leg charters can be an efficient and very cost effective way of enjoying a private aircraft. Find empty leg flights here." url: "https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/empty-leg-charters.html" date: "2026-10-18T03:21:58+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- [ ![Sherpa Report](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/sherpa-report-logo-white.svg) ](https://www.sherpareport.com/) #### Member login Remember Me - [ Forgot your username?](https://www.sherpareport.com/lost-user-name.html) - [ Forgot your password?](https://www.sherpareport.com/lost-password.html) GO [ ](# "Menu") # What Are Empty Leg Charters? Dawn R. Wolfe 21 September 2011 Last Updated: 29 April 2021 If you have some flexibility in your search for private aviation travel, then empty leg charters can be an efficient and very cost effective way of enjoying a private aircraft. ![Executive Jet Charter](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/Executive-Jet-charter-560.jpg "Executive Jet Charter") SherpaReport has already covered the many [benefits of flying privately](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/why-private-jets.html) – from saving time at the airport to being able to take your pets with you on most flights, flying privately is an optimum choice both for relaxation and for productivity on business trips. However, flying privately does come at a cost. Typical[ charter](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/air-charter.html) prices range from approximately $1,000 per flight hour on the low end for a piston aircraft, up to $10,000+ per flight hour for a large heavy jet. Before resigning yourself to the extra time and extra hassle of commercial flying though, there is one option to consider that can save you a substantial amount of money – taking an empty leg charter. Empty leg charter space becomes available when an existing customer charters a flight one-way. That plane still has to return to its home airport, and that means costs for the carrier; everything from housing the flight crew to the fuel and other costs to fly the aircraft home. Booking your flight on one of these empty legs means that you are actually helping reduce the carrier's costs – a favor the carrier returns by charging up to 70% less than you would pay by booking a regular charter flight. Industry estimates show that around 1/3 of all private aircraft are flying empty, as they reposition and get back to their base, so there is a lot of capacity to fill these seats. **Flexibility is Key** With empty legs you can enjoy the advantages of private flying without having to pay the usual price for those benefits. It's important to note, though, that you also give up some of the convenience and relative predictability that comes with chartering your own flight. - When scheduling an empty leg charter you can't be as choosy about the type of aircraft or your departure and arrival dates and times, as you can when contracting your own charter. Instead, your flight times will work in much the same way as they would flying commercially – the plane is on a schedule, and you'll need to adapt to that schedule. While some carriers may be willing to work with you to create a timetable that suits you both, this may not always be possible. - With empty leg charters you're also at the mercy of the original flight. If that flight has to be delayed or canceled for any reason you may well need to make alternative arrangements. In the same vein, if the operator finds a full price charter for the plane, then you may lose your low-price option at short notice. - An empty leg charter may be flying out of a secondary or neighboring airport compared to the one you would normally use. So being flexible on the airport at either end of the flight will help you find more of these deals. **How to Find Empty Legs** There are a few ways to access the offers that are available with this kind of charter arrangement. If you are already working with a particular carrier, become familiar with its routes and ask about available deals. Your local charter company will nearly always have some level of empty legs that it would like to fill. So it's a good idea to call them and ask. Scroll down the page to see both a list of current empty leg flights, and an email alert service that will let you know when flights on your chosen routes are available. Another thing to remember about empty leg charters is that their availability ebbs and flows with both the seasons and particular events. For example, if you want to fly out of a city that's hosting a Super Bowl right after everyone else has flown in, you may well have your pick from among several returning flights. Other times you may need to combine empty leg charters with other travel options to reach your final destination. If you're searching for empty leg flights, bear in mind that they may also be referred to as deadheads or dead legs or repositioning flights. In the final analysis, it's true that flying on empty legs means you need to be more flexible and creative than when chartering your own flight or when taking advantages of the other options for private air travel. However, if you enjoy saving money and like the thought of leaving a smaller carbon footprint – after all, why burn the extra fuel to charter your own flight when another one is already available? – empty leg charters may well be perfect for your needs. | | |---| ### Related Items #### [Premier Private Jets at a Glance: Products, Fleet, and Infrastructure](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/premier-private-jets-overview.html) #### [International Private Jet Flights – Key Things to Know](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/international-private-flights.html) #### [Vaunt: Fly Privately For $1,000 Per Year](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/vaunt-fly-private-1000.html) #### [What are FBOs And What Services Do They Provide](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/what-are-fbos-services-provide.html) #### [Largest Private Aircraft Charter Companies in 2021](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/largest-charter-company-2021.html) #### [The Largest Charter Aircraft Operators in 2020](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/largest-charter-operators-2020.html) #### [2019 Charter Trends from PrivateFly](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/2019-charter-trends-privatefly.html) #### [An Introduction to Flying on Private Aircraft](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/intro-private-flying.html) #### [Delta Private Jets Introduces the Sky Access Program](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/delta-private-jets-sky-access.html) #### [Empty Legs: A Few Tips for Buyers](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/empty-legs-tips.html) #### [How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Private Aircraft?](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/cost-charter-private-aircraft.html) #### [Private Jet Charter Costs - What's on the Invoice?](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/private-jet-charter-costs-0311.html) ### SherpaReport monthly newsletter First Name Email Comments ### Latest News in Private Aviation ![](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/Magell-legacy-250.jpg) #### [ Magellan Adds Flexibility To Its Jet Cards ](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/magellan-flexibility-cards.html) ![](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/Premier-Hawker800-250.jpg) #### [ Premier Private Jets at a Glance: Products, Fleet, and Infrastructure ](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/premier-private-jets-overview.html) ![Mike Silvestro opening Farnborough FBO](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/Flex-Mike_Silvestro-Farn-250.jpg) #### [ Inside Flexjet’s New Farnborough Terminal and Red Label Academy Expansion ](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/inside-flexjets-farnborough-terminal.html) ![](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/flyte-vision-N440MA-250.jpg) #### [ Flyte: A Focused Regional Vision Jet Operator ](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/flyte-vision-jet-operator.html) ![](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/NetJets-P500-250.jpg) #### [ How Old Is the Private Jet You Are Flying On? ](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/how-old-private-jet.html) ![](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/ClayLacy-Charter-250-2.jpg) #### [ Solairus Acquiring Clay Lacy Aircraft Management & Charter Divisions ](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/solairus-acquire-clay-lacy.html) ### Aviation Company Profiles ![Aviation Company Profiles](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/company-profiles/CompanyProfile.png) Details on the leading private aviation companies, including aircraft management companies, fractional operators, charter operators and brokers. - [Find out more](https://www.sherpareport.com/aviation-company-profile/) ### SherpaReport Membership Get the latest, updated data and insights on the leading fractional jet programs, leading private jet card and membership programs, and the top-rated charter operators. This information is critical for both first-time buyers and experienced private flyers. Leverage 20 years of knowledge and insights fromSherpaReport Analysts and request a bespoke analysis tailored to your flying needs. Access all this data and information to save you thousands of dollars and hours of research time. Your Membership also includes the Aircraft Buying Guide with multiple pages of insights, information and data for anyone considering or interested in buying a plane. You will be a more educated and smarter buyer. Membership is just $390 for a full year. - [COMPARE PRIVATE AVIATION PROGRAMS](https://www.sherpareport.com/memberships.html) ![Aircraft Buying Guide](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/2023/12/01/guide-mockup.png) ![sherpa report logo white](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/sherpa-report-logo-white.svg)© 2007 - 2026 SherpaReport by AIN Media Group Inc - [Privacy policy](https://www.sherpareport.com/privacy-policy.html) | - [Terms & conditions](https://www.sherpareport.com/terms.html) | - [Contact Us](https://www.sherpareport.com/sherpareport.html) [](https://www.facebook.com/SherpaReport) [](https://twitter.com/sherpareport) [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sherpareport/) [ ![Sherpa Report](https://www.sherpareport.com/images/sherpa-report-logo-white.svg) ](https://www.sherpareport.com/) [ ](#) - [Home](https://www.sherpareport.com/) - [Private Aviation](https://www.sherpareport.com/private-aviation.html) - [Charter](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/air-charter.html) - [Cost to Charter](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/cost-charter-private-aircraft.html) - [What's on Charter Invoices](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/private-jet-charter-costs-0311.html) - [1st Time Primer](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/chartering-private-aircraft-primer.html) - [Finding a Charter Broker](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/find-jet-charter-broker.html) - [Charter Service Questions](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/air-charter-screening-questions.html) - [Jet Cards & Memberships](https://www.sherpareport.com/private-aviation/private-jet-cards.html) - [Questions Card Provider](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/questions-jet-card.html) - [How to Compare Jet Cards](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/compare-jet-cards.html) - [Sourcing for Jet Card Companies](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/aircraft-sourcing-jet-cards.html) - [Closed Fleet Jet Cards](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/jet-cards.html) - [Fractional Ownership](https://www.sherpareport.com/private-aviation/fractional-overview.html) - [Overview](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/jets-overview.html) - [Fractional Contracts](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/fractional-aircraft-documents.html) - [Negotiating Fractional Agreements](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/negotiating-fractional-jet-contract.html) - [Leading Programs](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/aircraft-programs.html) - [Whole Ownership](https://www.sherpareport.com/private-aviation/aircraft-ownership.html) - [Steps Buying an Aircraft](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/buying-aircraft.html) - [Key Purchase Mistakes](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/7-mistakes-buying-aircraft.html) - [Buying for Charter Revenue](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/jet-charter-revenue.html) - [Choosing Management Provider](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/choose-aircraft-managemnt.html) - [Selecting a Broker to Help Sell](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/select-broker-sell-aircraft.html) - Where to begin - [Reasons to Fly Private](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/why-private-jets.html) - [What Are FBO's](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/what-are-fbos-services-provide.html) - [Why Business Flys Private](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/business-private-aviation.html) - [Empty Legs](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/empty-leg-charters.html) - [SherpaReport Membership](https://www.sherpareport.com/memberships.html) - [Vacation Home Alternatives](https://www.sherpareport.com/vacation-home-alternatives.html) - [Destination Clubs & Residence Funds](https://www.sherpareport.com/vacation-home-alternatives/destination-clubs.html) - [What Is A Destination Club](https://www.sherpareport.com/destination-clubs/destination-clubs.html) - [Compare Destination Clubs & Residence Funds](https://www.sherpareport.com/destination-clubs/dest-clubs.html) - [Destination Club & Residence Fund Glossary](https://www.sherpareport.com/destination-clubs/destination-club-glossary.html) - [Compared to Vacation Homes](https://www.sherpareport.com/destination-clubs/dc-to-2nd-home.html) - [Prospective Member Guide](https://www.sherpareport.com/destination-clubs/clubguide2014.html) - [Private Residence Clubs And Luxury Fractional Property](https://www.sherpareport.com/prc/) - [Residence Club Overview](https://www.sherpareport.com/prc/prc-overview.html) - [Reasons to Buy](https://www.sherpareport.com/prc/reasons-prc.html) - [Questions To Ask](https://www.sherpareport.com/prc/ask-before-buying-luxury-fractional.html) - [Glossary](https://www.sherpareport.com/prc/fractional-glossary.html) - [Compared to Destination Clubs](https://www.sherpareport.com/prc/dc-vs-prc.html) - [News](https://www.sherpareport.com/news.html) - [Private Aviation News](https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/aircraft-news/) - [Destination Club News](https://www.sherpareport.com/destination-clubs/destination-club-news/) - [About](https://www.sherpareport.com/about.html) - [Membership](https://www.sherpareport.com/memberships.html) - [Renew Membership](https://www.sherpareport.com/memberships/renew-membership.html) - [My Account](https://www.sherpareport.com/profile/my-account.html) - [Renew membership](https://www.sherpareport.com/profile/renew-membership.html) [Log in](https://www.sherpareport.com/log-in.html) [](#) ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sherpareport.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Private Aviation", "item": "https://www.sherpareport.com/private-aviation.html" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Empty Legs", "item": "https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/empty-leg-charters.html" } ] } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/empty-leg-charters.html#person134", "url": "https://www.sherpareport.com/nick-copley.html", "name": "Nick Copley", "description": "Since he founded SherpaReport in 2006, Nick has researched the industry, including in-depth discussions with executives at leading providers and operators, visits to operations centers, and flights on planes. He has also spoken directly with hundreds of private flyers and luxury travelers about their travel experiences, as well as with advisors, consultants, and other professionals. The resulting insider knowledge and insights are available in the content, guidance and information that are offered through SherpaReport.", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressCountry": "US", "addressRegion": "Massachusetts" }, "image": "https://www.sherpareport.com/images/nick_copley.png", "jobTitle": "President and Senior Analyst", "alumniOf": "Oxford University", "knowsAbout": [ "Private Aviation", "Charter Aircraft", "Jet Cards", "Fractional Aircraft Ownership", "Aircraft Purchase", "Flying Private", "Luxury Travel", "Vacation Homes" ], "worksFor": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SherpaReport" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncopley/", "https://muckrack.com/nick-copley" ] } ``` ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.sherpareport.com/aircraft/empty-leg-charters.html" }, "headline": "What Are Empty Leg Charters?", "description": "If you have some flexibility in your search for private aviation travel, then empty leg charters can be an efficient and very cost effective way of enjoying a private aircraft.", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.sherpareport.com/images/stories/planes/Executive-Jet-charter-560.jpg" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SherpaReport", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.sherpareport.com/images/sherpareport-mobile-logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Copley", "url": "https://www.sherpareport.com/nick-copley.html" }, "datePublished": "2011-09-21T05:00:00+00:00", "dateCreated": "2011-09-21T05:00:00+00:00", "dateModified": "2021-04-29T16:23:16+00:00" } ```