The Making of an Empty Leg Flight

Empty Flights that won't Empty your Wallet

Looking to rent a private jet? Then you’ve probably already seen the term “empty leg”, or "deadhead". 

Brokers and operators offer steep discounts on a planes scheduled to fly empty, and they can create excellent deals for flexible flyers to hop in a private jet at a fraction of the cost.

Although they’re excellent for one-way flights or to pair with first-class airfare, there are some restrictions and limitations you should be aware of.

How do empty legs become available?

More than 10,000 private jets, turboprops, airliners and other aircraft fly around the world daily. Many of these planes are available for charter, and flights on these planes are sold whenever they’re not in use.

As flights are booked, a schedule is created for the aircraft . Sometimes, a gap in the routing is created --- say for example a one-way flight is booked, and the plane needs to return to its home airport, or fly to another city to pick up passengers for the next scheduled flight.

These re-positioning flights back to home airports and other cities fly with only pilots and flight crew on board. 

That’s how an an empty leg flight becomes available.

Also known as a “Dead Head”, it’s the empty leg of a flight scheduled to go whether paying passengers are on board or not. Since the plane needs to make the flight regardless, the cost is aggressively marketed for a specific time, date, and route, and often at a substantial discount.

How do I find an empty leg?

Finding one on your own is possible, but finding the best one is almost futile without industry knowledge, or more importantly , the right tools that give you visibility across the entire jet charter market.

Many operators list their empty leg flights on their sites and market them to current clients, with pricing often included. Operators offer convenient, book-it-and-go access to empty legs, however, they're limited to the planes in their own fleet.

Some may not even have the type of plane required for a specific mission, and even if they do, they offer may not work for your flight or your dates. Many empty legs become available for only a few days, and are quickly booked.

Jet charter brokers, on the other hand, can access hundreds of private planes and empty legs from operators, increasing the likelihood you'll find an empty leg jet to match your flight.

Many brokers form relationships with operators and can negotiate better prices on your behalf ---  a good broker will also take into account hourly rates, operating costs and other factors that go into the price, and get you the best deal on the market.

What are the Downsides?

Outside of the flexibility needed in your travel plans and the difficulties involved in finding one, there are a couple of downsides to go with the savings.

Empty legs are subject to changes and cancellation at any time, for any reason, and it will always be beyond your control. 

Since many flights are based on one-way flights arranged by other clients, the empty portion of the flight is still technically owned by the original client. Your flight is booked to fit around this schedule.

Should the original flight make any changes, it may impact your empty flight flight, too --- if a plane re-positions but the original passenger delays their flight by a few hours, the empty leg must also depart later --- should pilots reach their duty limit, or operations become restricted at that time, your flight may be scheduled for the the following day.

There’s also the possibility that the original flight gets canceled --- if your trip is based on that flight, then yours is likely to be cancelled as well.

Of course, in the event of any cancellations, you would be fully refunded for your flight.

Many brokers advise that while using empty legs for business travel is an excellent way to save tie and money, it’s recommended to arrange a back-up plan in case any changes are made to your empty leg flight.