How Much Do You Know about the Empty Leg Private Charter Flights?
Everyone must have included flying private on their bucket list. Flying on a private plane means luxury, but most of all it means unparalleled convenience. Flying private means no queues for boarding or security checks. You may follow a schedule of your own. If you are checking online for the cheapest private jet flight, you likely stumble upon the phrase empty leg private jet.
Defining Empty Leg Flights
The phrase “empty legs” refers to those flights that are without passengers. These flights operate when the aircraft has to reposition or it has to return for a charter. These flights have many names such as dead-heads, ferry flights, and repositioning legs. Research revealed that about 30 to 50 percent of private jet charter flights are empty. Empty jet flights are often cheaper by 75 percent compared to the standard price. You may also find private jet membership programs that offer highly discounted flights to their members. Sometimes they even offer complimentary access to empty leg charter flights.
Downsides to Booking Empty Leg Flights
Charter companies try their best to avoid having empty leg flights because of the high operating costs involved. This is why these flights are usually not available until the last minute. They often offer limited routes as well, not to mention that availability is hard to predict. Hence, there are two main drawbacks to booking empty leg flights.
The first downside is that the flight can be canceled anytime whether because of mechanical issues or perhaps the aircraft is booked for a different full-priced charter. Unfortunately, cancelations occur, and not like commercial flights, empty leg charter flights do not have the responsibility to bring you to your destination. The second drawback is that it is only a one-way flight. If you have to go back to your original location, you have to find another flight.
How to Book an Empty Leg Flight
Not all charter companies market empty leg private jet flights. But most of them do offer empty leg specials. It’s given that charter companies would want to maximize their earrings and the usage of their fleet. Moreover, you may also find brokers who advertise operators’ empty leg flights, particularly acting as a middleman. It would be best to book directly with these charter companies. You can check the official websites of these charter companies. Some of these sites even allow you to choose a preferred departure airport. You may also create alerts when new deals are released.
Empty Leg Flight Rates
Empty leg flight prices differ according to route, dates, aircraft, and other specific details. Most of the time these flights are 50 to 75 percent lower than the standard charter flights. Such flights are available all over the US. These flights include coast-to-coast flights and international flights. Empty leg specials usually come all in when it comes to rates. Flight charges include landing fees, fuel, and other surcharges. Since you will book the entire jet, you can bring your furry pets all the time with no additional charges. The savings may even be bigger when you travel with the whole family.
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