Empty leg flights typically price 30-75% below comparable on-demand charter. The discount widens on long-tail routes, short-notice departures, and odd-hour times. It narrows to 20-40% on dense corridors like TEB-PBI or VNY-ASE where operators have confirmed return clients lined up.
What discount do empty legs actually deliver versus on-demand charter?
Empty legs typically price 30-75% below the equivalent on-demand charter quote. The range is wide because empty leg pricing is a function of how badly the operator wants to avoid flying the aircraft empty, not a function of the trip's underlying cost. A light jet repositioning from White Plains to West Palm Beach on a Tuesday morning with 36 hours of notice might list at $14,000 when the same aircraft on a confirmed retail charter would quote $28,000-$32,000. A super-midsize from Van Nuys to Aspen on a Friday afternoon in February might only discount 25% because the operator knows a skier will pay near-retail to grab it.
The cleanest way to think about it: the operator's floor is the variable cost of flying the leg empty (fuel, crew duty, landing fees) minus whatever they've already committed to spend on the repositioning. Anything above that floor is upside. Your job is to find legs where the operator hasn't found a buyer and the clock is running out.
When does the discount widen past 50%?
Discounts widen past 50% on short notice, off-peak times, and unpopular destinations. A Citation CJ3 repositioning from Naples to Teterboro on a Wednesday at 6 a.m. with 18 hours of notice is a textbook 60-70% discount candidate, because most charter clients won't take a pre-dawn departure and the operator is already eating the fuel. The same aircraft on the same route at 10 a.m. Friday will discount 30-40% because demand is thick.
Long-tail routes also widen the spread. Repositioning from Bozeman back to Dallas, or from Sun Valley back to Scottsdale, rarely has a retail buyer waiting. Operators will dump those legs at 60-75% off list because the alternative is flying empty. Conversely, TEB-PBI in season is so heavily trafficked that operators frequently sell the empty leg at near-retail to a broker who flips it.
Where does the discount narrow?
The discount narrows to 20-40% on dense, predictable corridors. TEB-PBI and TEB-OPF in October and November, VNY-ASE on winter Fridays, BED-PBI on Thursday and Friday afternoons, HPN-MVY in summer — these legs have known retail demand, and operators price accordingly. The empty leg discount on these routes is real but modest, often 25-35%, because the operator knows that if you pass, someone else will buy at close to retail within hours.
The same principle applies to the return direction during peak season. Northbound OPF-TEB in April and May, ASE-VNY on Sunday afternoons in March — these are pre-sold repositioning legs masquerading as empty legs. The "discount" is sometimes just the difference between what a broker would mark up a confirmed charter and what the operator will accept direct.
What does a typical empty leg actually cost by aircraft class?
A light jet empty leg on a 2-hour route like TEB-PBI generally lists in the $9,000-$15,000 range against a $22,000-$28,000 retail charter quote. A midsize like a Citation XLS or Hawker 800 on the same route lists at $14,000-$22,000 against $32,000-$42,000 retail. A super-midsize Challenger 300 or Citation Sovereign sits at $20,000-$32,000 against $48,000-$60,000. A heavy jet like a Gulfstream G450 or Falcon 2000 on a transcon empty leg from VNY to TEB might list at $35,000-$55,000 against a $90,000-$120,000 retail one-way.
These are list prices on aggregators like XO, JetASAP, and operator direct feeds. Real transacted prices on short-notice legs run 10-20% below list, because operators discount further as the departure window closes. A leg posted at $18,000 at 72 hours out is often available at $14,500 inside 24 hours if it hasn't sold.
Why do listed empty leg prices keep changing?
Empty leg prices drop as the departure window narrows because the operator's leverage erodes. The aircraft is going to fly the leg regardless — the only question is whether they collect any revenue. Most operators run a yield-management model: list at 50% off retail at 5-7 days out, drop to 60% off at 48 hours, drop to 70%+ inside 24 hours if no taker. XO and JetSmarter publish this dynamic openly; smaller operators run it manually but the curve is identical.
The flip side: a leg posted at a deep discount can also disappear in minutes. A $9,800 light jet from TEB to PBI on a Friday afternoon will be gone before you finish the quote process if it's underpriced. The buyers who actually transact on these are the ones who decide in 15 minutes, not 15 hours.
What costs aren't included in the empty leg price?
Most empty leg quotes exclude federal excise tax (7.5%), segment fees, international handling, de-icing, catering, and ground transportation. On a $15,000 empty leg, expect to add roughly $1,200-$1,800 in tax and fees. International legs from the U.S. to the Bahamas or Mexico add customs handling and overflight fees of $400-$1,200. Winter legs into ASE, EGE, JAC, and BZN routinely carry $800-$2,500 in de-icing charges that show up as a separate line item.
The all-in delivered cost on an advertised $12,000 empty leg from TEB to PBI is closer to $13,500-$14,000 once tax, segment fees, and a modest catering order land on the invoice. That's still a fraction of the $26,000-$30,000 all-in on a confirmed charter, but build the real number into your comparison before declaring the savings.
How should a buyer benchmark whether an empty leg is actually a deal?
Get a retail charter quote on the exact same aircraft tail and route before transacting on the empty leg. The benchmark only works against an apples-to-apples comparison: same aircraft category, same airports, same date. A "60% off" claim against a list price that was never going to transact is meaningless. Brokers at Stratos Jet Charters, Jet Linx, and the larger Part 135 desks will run a comparison quote in under an hour. If the empty leg is more than 35% below a real retail quote on the same aircraft, it's a genuine discount. If it's less than 25%, you're paying a thin convenience premium for accepting the operator's schedule.
Frequently asked questions
What discount do empty legs actually deliver versus on-demand charter?
Empty legs typically price 30-75% below the equivalent on-demand charter quote. The range is wide because empty leg pricing is a function of how badly the operator wants to avoid flying the aircraft empty, not a function of the trip's underlying cost. A light jet repositioning from White Plains to West Palm Beach on a Tuesday morning with 36 hours of notice might list at $14,000 when the same aircraft on a confirmed retail charter would quote $28,000-$32,000. A super-midsize from Van Nuys to Aspen on a Friday afternoon in February might only discount 25% because the operator knows a skier will pay near-retail to grab it.
When does the discount widen past 50%?
Discounts widen past 50% on short notice, off-peak times, and unpopular destinations. A Citation CJ3 repositioning from Naples to Teterboro on a Wednesday at 6 a.m. with 18 hours of notice is a textbook 60-70% discount candidate, because most charter clients won't take a pre-dawn departure and the operator is already eating the fuel. The same aircraft on the same route at 10 a.m. Friday will discount 30-40% because demand is thick.
Where does the discount narrow?
The discount narrows to 20-40% on dense, predictable corridors. TEB-PBI and TEB-OPF in October and November, VNY-ASE on winter Fridays, BED-PBI on Thursday and Friday afternoons, HPN-MVY in summer — these legs have known retail demand, and operators price accordingly. The empty leg discount on these routes is real but modest, often 25-35%, because the operator knows that if you pass, someone else will buy at close to retail within hours.
What does a typical empty leg actually cost by aircraft class?
A light jet empty leg on a 2-hour route like TEB-PBI generally lists in the $9,000-$15,000 range against a $22,000-$28,000 retail charter quote. A midsize like a Citation XLS or Hawker 800 on the same route lists at $14,000-$22,000 against $32,000-$42,000 retail. A super-midsize Challenger 300 or Citation Sovereign sits at $20,000-$32,000 against $48,000-$60,000. A heavy jet like a Gulfstream G450 or Falcon 2000 on a transcon empty leg from VNY to TEB might list at $35,000-$55,000 against a $90,000-$120,000 retail one-way.
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PilotPrivate Editorial is the in-house editorial team that produces every article on the site under the byline “Staff.” The team consolidates working knowledge from former charter brokers, fractional program members, aircraft management operators, and aviation tax advisors. Articles cite specific regulations (FAR Part 91, Part 135, IRC §168, §1031, §274, §469) and quote real pricing without affiliate filtering. More about PilotPrivate.
More from Empty Legs
What Are Empty Leg Flights and How Do They Work?
An empty leg is a repositioning flight a charter operator has to fly with no paying passengers, typically to return an aircraft to base or move it to pick up the next client. Operators discount these segments 30-75% below a comparable on-demand charter to recover variable cost. The catch: you take the route, date, and departure window the operator dictates, and the flight can cancel if the revenue charter that created it changes.
How to Find Empty Leg Deals: Apps, Brokers, and Aggregators
Empty legs surface through three channels: aggregator apps (XO, JetASAP, Stratos), broker mailing lists, and direct operator inventory. Aggregators list the most flights but mark them up; brokers see inventory hours earlier; operators quote the cleanest price if you already know who flies your corridor. Expect 30–75% off comparable retail charter, with the deepest discounts on long-tail routes and same-day notice.
The Trade-Offs of Empty Legs: Flexibility vs Discount
Empty legs discount 30-75% off comparable retail charter, but you buy the operator's exact route, exact date, and exact departure window. The math works when your calendar already matches the repositioning flight. Shift the city pair by 50 miles or the departure by four hours and the discount disappears — or the trip does.
Empty Leg Flights by Route: Most Common Repositioning Corridors
Empty legs cluster on a handful of repositioning corridors: Teterboro to Palm Beach and Opa-Locka, Van Nuys to Aspen, Bedford to Palm Beach, and Sunday-night ski returns out of ASE, EGE, and JAC. These routes generate the most inventory because operators fly them empty more often than not.