Guide
Empty Leg Flights: How They Work
What empty legs are, when they make sense, and what to be aware of.
Empty legs are repositioning flights that have to fly with no passengers on board. They are one of the most talked-about parts of private aviation — and one of the most misunderstood.
What an empty leg actually is
An aircraft has dropped passengers in city A and has to return to base, or reposition to city B for the next charter. That repositioning flight is the empty leg. The crew, fuel and slots are already committed, so selling the seat is preferable to flying it empty.
The trade-offs
Empty legs can be cancelled or rescheduled if the underlying charter changes. The departure city, destination and timing are fixed, with limited flexibility. For travellers with firm dates and locations, an empty leg rarely lines up; for those with flexibility, they can be excellent.
Where they fit in a travel plan
Empty legs work best as opportunistic additions to a flexible schedule — repositioning legs around the Mediterranean in summer, post-event flights out of Geneva or Nice, mid-week flows between European business capitals. They are an addition to a proper charter plan, not a replacement for one.
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