How much can I save on an empty leg flight?

Empty leg flights can offer cost savings of up to 75% compared to standard private jet rental costs. Transatlantic routes such as New York to London can save upwards of $100,000, while cross-country US flights like New York to Los Angeles can yield savings of $30,000–$50,000. Shorter East Coast flights on light jets typically save around $5,000–$6,000.

How many empty leg flights are available at any given time?

At any given time, there may be more than 3,000 empty leg flights available worldwide. Paramount Business Jets uses multiple platforms to offer the most comprehensive empty leg flight search on the market.

How do I find and book an empty leg flight?

Contact Paramount Business Jets with your preferred routes and dates and we will match your schedule with available empty leg charter flights. Call +1-877-727-2538 or request a charter quote online at paramountbusinessjets.com/private-jet-quotes.

Can I negotiate the price of an empty leg flight?

Empty leg pricing is based on supply and demand. If multiple empty legs are flying in the same direction, there may be more room to negotiate as operators compete to fill seats. However, aircraft owners still expect a fair price and may choose not to sell if the offer is too low.

Empty Leg Flights

Q: What is an empty leg flight?

An empty leg is a one-way private jet flight without any payload or passengers on board. Over 30% of booked charters fly empty either to reposition for the next booked flight or to return to their home base. Because these flights have often been partially paid for by the original flyer, they are offered at reduced rates.

Empty Leg Flights: Private Jets at Up to 75% Off

What Is an Empty Leg Flight?

Empty leg flights are one of the best-kept secrets in private aviation - repositioning jets available at up to 75% off standard charter rates, with over 3,000 flights available worldwide at any given time.

Because the flight is happening regardless, operators often sell these seats at steep discounts rather than flying empty. For travelers with flexibility on dates and routes, empty legs are the most cost-effective way to fly private.

At any given time, more than 3,000 empty leg flights are available worldwide. Paramount Business Jets searches across multiple platforms to give you the broadest selection of empty leg private jets on the market.

Search Empty Legs - Get a Quote

How Much Do Empty Leg Flights Cost?

Empty legs typically cost 25-75% less than a standard one-way private jet charter. Actual savings on these one-way private jet deals depend on the route, aircraft size, and the proximity of the flight date.

Savings by route and aircraft type:

Light jets, short East Coast hops (e.g., New York to Boston) - save $5,000-$6,000 vs. standard charter
Mid-size jets, transcontinental (e.g., New York to Los Angeles) - save $30,000-$50,000
Large-cabin jets, transatlantic (e.g., New York to London) - save $100,000 or more

The closer to the departure date, the deeper the potential discount. Within 24 hours of a flight, operators may offer "fire sale" pricing to cover at least some of the repositioning costs on a trip that's happening anyway.

For full context on standard private jet rental costs, see our pricing page.

Empty Leg vs. One-Way Charter: What's the Difference?

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things.

True empty leg: You pay only the hourly rate for the specific segment the aircraft is flying - no positioning fees, no repositioning on the far end. These are rare, genuinely exceptional deals, and require your origin and destination to align exactly with the aircraft's required route.

One-way charter: You pay for the flight itself plus any positioning miles needed to get the aircraft to your departure airport, and sometimes positioning on the far end to the operator's next booking. One-way pricing is still significantly cheaper than a round trip and is far more commonly available than a pure empty leg.

Understanding this distinction helps you evaluate quotes accurately and work with your broker to find the best deal for your actual itinerary.

Where Do Empty Legs Fly?

Empty legs concentrate on high-traffic routes, much like commercial airline hubs. The most common domestic routes include:

New York to/from South Florida (New York to Miami)
New York to/from Los Angeles
South Florida to/from Los Angeles
Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, and other major corporate hubs

Internationally, the US East Coast to Western Europe is the most active corridor. Routes to and from the Middle East and Europe also offer significant empty-leg availability, particularly during major business travel seasons.

The more your itinerary aligns with these high-traffic corridors, the greater your chances of finding a matching empty leg - and the more negotiating leverage you have when multiples are available on the same route.

How to Book an Empty Leg Flight

Tell us your route and dates. Flexibility is key - even a one-day shift can unlock availability.
We search across platforms. Paramount Business Jets scans the broadest range of empty leg listings in the market.
We match and negotiate. When multiple empty legs fly in the same direction, there's room to negotiate. We know how to read operator quotes and push for the best price.
You fly private for a fraction of the cost.

Empty legs aren't bookable weeks in advance like commercial flights. The best strategy is to tell us your preferred routes and timeframes, and let us alert you when a match surfaces.

Call +1-877-727-2538 to Check Availability

Supply and Demand: When Empty Legs Are Most Available

Empty leg availability follows predictable seasonal patterns. During peak travel periods - holidays, major events, summer weekends - operators are running more flights, which means more repositioning legs. The counterintuitive advantage: popular routes on the return trip from a high-demand destination often generate a glut of cheap empty legs.

For example, around Christmas, high demand drives up fares on flights from New York to South Florida. That creates a surplus of empty legs flying from Miami back to New York. If Miami to New York is your route, peak season may actually work in your favor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are empty leg flights safe?
Yes. Empty leg flights use the same aircraft, same certified operators, and the same safety standards as any other private charter. All flights through Paramount Business Jets are operated by FAA/DOT-approved operators. Safety is never discounted - only the price is.

Can I choose the aircraft on an empty leg?
The aircraft type is fixed - it's whatever jet is making that specific repositioning trip. You can filter by aircraft category when searching, but the aircraft cannot be swapped. If the available aircraft doesn't meet your group size or range requirements, a standard one-way charter may be more appropriate.

Why do empty leg prices vary so much?
Pricing reflects supply, demand, the time until departure, and the number of competing empty legs on the same corridor. An operator with three empty legs competing on the same route on the same day will price more aggressively than one with a unique availability. Working with an experienced broker who understands operator economics is the difference between paying market rate and getting a real deal.

What's a "fire sale" empty leg?
When an aircraft owner needs their jet repositioned within 24 hours, and no buyer has emerged, they will sometimes accept almost any reasonable offer rather than fly completely empty. These last-minute private jet deals are rare but real - and they're the closest thing to the "show up at the FBO and pay a few hundred dollars" stories you may have read. Having an active relationship with a broker who monitors the market in real time is how these opportunities get captured.

How is an empty leg different from a jet card?
A jet card membership guarantees availability and fixed hourly rates. Empty legs offer bigger savings but require flexibility - you go when and where the aircraft is going. The two are complementary: frequent flyers often use jet cards for planned trips and for opportunistic travel on empty legs.

Why Paramount Business Jets for Empty Legs?

Paramount Business Jets has operated as a private aviation broker since 2005, with accreditations from NBAA, ARGUS, Wyvern, and the Air Charter Association. We don't own or operate aircraft, which means our only incentive is to find you the right flight at the best price.

Our sales team is trained to parse operator quotes line by line, distinguish real positioning costs from inflated margins, and negotiate effectively on your behalf. Operators know us as a knowledgeable, straightforward counterpart - which matters when availability is limited, and decisions need to happen quickly.

Private jet empty legs availability is real-time. The best way to access it is to contact us directly with your routes and travel windows.

Request Empty Leg Availability | +1-877-727-2538