Empty Leg Flights: What They Are, What They Cost and How to Book One

Empty leg flights (also called empty legs, deadhead or ferry flights) are private jet flights that would otherwise fly with no one on board. Operators sell those flights, usually for less than a regular charter, because the aircraft is making the trip anyway. For a traveler with flexible dates, that can be a good deal. For anyone who has to be somewhere at a set time, it comes with real risk.

This guide covers why empty legs exist, how they are priced and booked, what can go wrong, and how they compare with booking a charter or buying a jet card.

Why private jets fly empty

Most charter trips are one way or come back days later. When a jet drops passengers in Aspen and its next trip starts in Miami, it has to fly to Miami empty. That flight is called a repositioning or ferry flight. An empty leg also happens before a trip, when the aircraft has to reach the departure airport from wherever its last trip ended.

On a regular one-way charter, the customer often pays for that empty flight in some form, either as repositioning time or in the hourly rate. Selling the empty leg lets the operator recover part of that cost, and lets a traveler fly the route for less.

How empty legs work

1. An operator schedules a trip that leaves an aircraft needing to fly somewhere without passengers.
2. The operator lists the flight, directly or through brokers and booking apps, with a departure window, the aircraft and a price.
3. You book the leg. In most cases you are chartering the whole aircraft for that flight, so you choose who flies with you, up to the seat count.
4. The original trip still comes first. The empty leg exists because of another customer's schedule. If that customer moves their departure, your departure moves too. If they cancel, the empty leg may disappear.

Once you are on board, an empty leg is a normal charter flight. It is flown by the operator under its FAA Part 135 certificate, with the same crew, the same rules and the same 7.5% federal excise tax on domestic flights.

How much empty leg flights cost

There is no published price list for empty legs. A leg is usually priced below a regular one-way charter on the same aircraft, and the price moves with:

• The route. Legs into busy destinations sell quickly; legs out of them, at the end of a holiday weekend for example, are easier to find.
• The aircraft. A larger cabin costs more to fly, empty or full.
• Time to departure. A leg that is still unsold close to the date may be repriced.
• Fees. Ask whether the price includes federal excise tax, the segment fee per passenger, and airport or handling charges.

How to judge an empty leg price

An empty leg price only means something next to what the same trip costs as a regular charter. Take New York to Miami, one of the most-searched private jet routes. Here is what a regular one-way charter on it costs, by jet size, from published rates:

Flight time times published jet card rates (checked October 2, 2026), before airport fees and peak-day surcharges; a charter quote also prices repositioning. Every option is on the New York to Miami cost page, and every route from New York is on the New York hub.

And the hourly rate by jet size, for any other route:

The middle half of the hourly rates jet card companies publish for each size, checked October 2, 2026, with the 7.5% federal excise tax added where a company says it is extra and an estimated fuel surcharge where one applies. Charter quotes add repositioning, fees and minimums. Cost by flight time.

If a listing is well under the regular one-way estimate for its jet size and route, the discount is real; weigh it against the risk that the flight moves or is cancelled. For any other trip, see how much a private jet costs by city and route, or cost by flight time, and how one-way pricing works. Industry figures on how many legs fly empty and how they are booked are collected in our empty leg flight statistics.

The catch: what can go wrong

• The time can change. The aircraft follows the original customer's schedule.
• The flight can be cancelled. If the original trip changes, the empty leg may not happen. Ask what refund you get, and when.
• One way only. You still need a way home, and the return is usually a regular price.
• Fixed airports. The leg goes between the airports the aircraft needs, which may not be the ones nearest to you.
• Little choice. You fly the aircraft that happens to be repositioning, if it suits your group and your bags.

The practical rule: book an empty leg when a cancellation would be an inconvenience, not a crisis, and keep a backup plan.

Before you book an empty leg: a checklist

Run through these before you pay. If the seller can't answer one, treat the listing as a maybe, not a booking.

1. Who operates the flight? Get the operator's legal name and its FAA Part 135 certificate, and check that the aircraft's tail number is on that certificate.
2. What happens if the leg disappears? Ask, in writing, what you get back if the original trip is cancelled or moves, how much notice you get, and whether the seller offers a replacement aircraft or a full refund.
3. How wide is the departure window? A leg listed for "the afternoon" can leave hours early or late. Know the earliest and latest times you could be asked to fly.
4. What does the price include? Federal excise tax, per-passenger segment fees, airport and handling fees, de-icing, catering and Wi-Fi are all worth asking about.
5. Will your group and bags fit? Check the seat count and baggage space for this aircraft, and get pets, oversized items (golf bags, skis) and any accessibility needs approved before you pay.
6. Is it international? Crossing a border adds passports, customs at an airport of entry and, often, extra fees.
7. How do you get home? Price the return as a regular charter or airline ticket before you commit, so the "deal" still holds for the whole trip.

How to find and book an empty leg safely

1. Follow the routes you fly. Operators post their open repositioning flights, and many brokers and apps collect listings from several operators and send alerts.
2. Get the details in writing: the operator's name, the aircraft's tail number, the departure window and the cancellation terms.
3. Check the operator. Look the operator and tail number up on the FAA's list of Part 135 operators and aircraft. If you are booking through a broker, it must name the operator before you sign; our guide to brokers and operators explains what to ask.
4. Confirm the full price, with taxes and fees, before you pay.

Empty legs vs charter vs a jet card

A jet card solves a different problem from an empty leg. Instead of waiting for a cheap flight to appear, you buy hours at a fixed rate and fly when you choose. Some cards also price one-way trips without charging for the empty flight back. Ours does, anywhere in the lower 48, at published rates with fuel and FET included:

For a fuller comparison, read jet cards vs empty leg flights, or see what a jet card really costs per hour across the companies that publish their rates.

Does CRAFT offer empty legs?

Not through this website. CRAFT is an operator: we fly our own five Challenger 300 and 350 aircraft, and we quote each charter for the specific trip, which already takes into account where the aircraft are that day. If you have a route in mind, send it to the desk; the quote is built from where our aircraft are that day.