February 20, 2023
Empty-leg flights are the most reliable way to fly privately for less. Here is what they are, why they are discounted, and how to catch the good ones.
An empty leg — sometimes called a “deadhead” — is a private flight scheduled to fly without passengers, usually to reposition an aircraft for its next booking or return it to base. To recover some of that cost, the operator offers the aircraft at a steep discount.
The flight is already happening. The operator’s fixed costs are largely covered by the paid booking on the other end, so revenue from the empty leg is upside. That is why empty legs are often priced well below standard on-demand charter for the same aircraft.
Empty legs run on the aircraft’s schedule, not yours. The route, date, and timing are set by where the aircraft needs to be next. They suit travelers who can be flexible on timing, or who happen to want a route an operator is already flying. If your dates are fixed, on-demand charter is the better fit.
The travelers who get the most from empty legs treat them opportunistically: they know their preferred routes, they keep alerts running, and they can say yes fast. With a little flexibility, the savings over scheduled charter can be considerable.
We curate empty-leg opportunities across our operator network and send alerts for the routes you care about. Subscribe to weekly empty-leg alerts, or search live inventory in real time on Tappjet.
Tell us your route and dates and we will source the right aircraft.
Request a quote