Fly Empty Guy: Private Jet Travel for Less
(If you are flexible, enjoy a challenge, are willing to carefully plan your travel, can roll with the punches, and have the budget)
Discover the world of empty-leg flights, where firsthand experience, careful planning, and flexibility can open the door to extraordinary travel.
What Is an Empty-Leg Flight?
Private jets don't always fly with passengers. Sometimes an aircraft needs to reposition to pick up its next passengers, return to base or prepare for another charter. That journey is called an empty-leg flight, also known as a repositioning flight.
Rather than fly without passengers, operators may offer these flights at significantly reduced rates compared with a traditional private charter. It's an intriguing way to experience private aviation, provided the route and timing work for you.
Sounds pretty fantastic, right? It can be. But before you pack your bags, there are a few things worth knowing.
Things to Consider: Flexibility Is Everything
Empty-leg flights aren't like booking a commercial airline ticket. You're working around the aircraft's existing plans rather than choosing your own itinerary.
- Routes are departure times are predetermined. The aircraft is already going somewhere, and you need to want to go there – at that time.
- Schedules can change. A flight may move or disappear if the original charter changes.
- Availability is unpredictable. An ideal opportunity may appear suddenly, or not at all.
- One-way travel. The return trip is up to you. Most empty-leg opportunities are one-way, so plan accordingly.
- Pricing varies. Discounts can be substantial, but empty-leg flights are not automatically cheaper than commercial travel, especially when considering the additional planning required.
- Destination stays must be planned carefully since your empty-leg flight may be cancelled or rescheduled.
- Short time frame to find and decide. Empty-leg flights may not be available until a day or two before the flight (or even that same day), so even finding a flight or planning your travel can be very challenging.
- No replacement flight. It’s possible that due to a mechanical, weather, or sky traffic issue, your empty-leg flight can be cancelled. So, ensuring you are flexible and planning for possible delays/cancellations, is critical.
But for travelers with flexible schedules, the budget to book your empty-leg flight (and often backup flights), a willingness to be diligent and carefully plan your flights and destination lodging, all while seeking extraordinary travel experiences, empty-leg flights can be worth exploring.
Meet the Empty Leg Guy
I'm Aaron, the guy.
For years, my wife and I have explored the world together, discovering extraordinary hotels, remarkable destinations and memorable travel experiences.
Some of our most interesting travel discoveries, though, have happened a little closer to the runway. We've personally booked and flown private jet empty-leg flights, mostly with our dogs in tow.
And along the way, I've learned that finding a great empty-leg opportunity involves more than spotting an attractive price. There's understanding how flights work, knowing what questions to ask, recognizing a worthwhile opportunity and being prepared when plans change. I've learned a lot firsthand, including a few things I wish I'd known before our first flight.
That's why I created Fly Empty Guy.
I'm not a private jet broker or aircraft operator. I'm an empty-leg traveler who enjoys sharing what I've learned, and helping others explore potential opportunities.
What You’ll Find Here
Fly Empty Guy is all about making private aviation a little less mysterious and a lot more approachable. I'll share how empty-leg flights work, what to consider before booking, interesting routes, useful resources and lessons from flights we've actually taken.
That includes firsthand considerations for traveling on private jets with dogs, something we've done ourselves. Because sometimes the most memorable travel experiences begin with discovering something you didn't know was possible.
