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Empty leg flights: the cheaper way to fly private

By the JetChalet editors · Updated · How we check facts

  • 10% to 75%off a normal charter, as brokers publish it1,2
  • $6,000–$7,000an empty leg from Washington, DC to New York on a light jet, against $8,000 to $11,000 normally1
  • $3,000–$40,000a typical one-way empty leg on any route (Monarch Air Group)2

Photo by Everson Vansoski on Unsplash

An empty leg is a private jet that has to fly somewhere without passengers, sold for less to whoever wants the ride. Brokers publish discounts from about 10% up to 75% off a normal charter.1,2 It works only if your plans can bend to the jet's schedule.

10% to 75% off, as published1,2 · $6,000–$7,000 Washington, DC to New York on a light jet1 · $3,000–$40,000 a typical one-way empty leg2

Details

An empty leg is a private jet that has to fly somewhere without passengers, sold for less to whoever wants the ride. It can be the cheapest way into a private flight, as long as your plans can bend to the jet's schedule.

  • 10% to 75%off a normal charter, as brokers publish it1,2
  • $6,000–$7,000an empty leg from Washington, DC to New York on a light jet, against $8,000 to $11,000 normally1
  • $3,000–$40,000a typical one-way empty leg on any route (Monarch Air Group)2

The short answer

  • Empty legs are repositioning flights: after a one-way charter the jet flies home or to its next job empty, and the operator sells that flight at a discount.
  • Brokers publish discounts from about 10% up to 75% off a normal charter; "up to" is the best case, not the typical one (Monarch Air Group, Mercury Jets).1,2
  • You still book the whole jet, but the route and time are fixed, and the flight can be moved or cancelled if the paying trip behind it changes.
  • Other ways to pay less: share a charter with friends, choose a turboprop for short trips, or fly a shared-seat service.

What would it cost?

Pick a route and your group. You see the one-way ranges a broker publishes for the whole jet, and what that is per person. Routes without a published range say so.

Passengers
4
How to get quotes Open the full calculator

What an empty leg is

When someone books a one-way charter, the jet still has to fly home or to its next job, so the operator sells that empty flight for less. You book the whole aircraft, and the operator sets the airports and the time.1,3

Details

When someone books a one-way charter, the aircraft still has to get back to its base or on to its next customer. That flight carries no passengers, so the operator would rather sell it for less than fly it empty. You book the whole aircraft, not one seat, and the operator's plan sets the airports and the time window (Mercury Jets, evoJets, Air Charter Service).1,3,4

Because the price is per aircraft, the saving grows when you fill the seats. It also depends entirely on whether a flight you can use happens to exist on your dates.

How much cheaper, by published figures

Mercury Jets publishes average prices for the same route as an empty leg and as a normal one-way charter, before taxes and fees. Monarch Air Group gives a typical range for its one-way empty legs.

How much cheaper, by published figures
OptionPublished range (USD)Source, checked
Washington, DC to New York: empty leglight jet$6,000 to $7,000 per flight1 3 Nov 2026
Washington, DC to New York: normal charterlight jet$8,000 to $11,000 per flight1 3 Nov 2026
New York to Orlando: empty legsuper midsize jet$14,000 to $30,000 per flight1 3 Nov 2026
New York to Orlando: normal chartersuper midsize jet$22,000 to $32,000 per flight1 3 Nov 2026
Denver to Miami: empty legheavy jet$30,000 to $44,500 per flight1 3 Nov 2026
Denver to Miami: normal charterheavy jet$42,000 to $65,000 per flight1 3 Nov 2026
Typical one-way empty leg, any routeMonarch Air Group's published range$3,000 to $40,000 per flight2 3 Nov 2026

Averages and ranges, before the 7.5% excise tax and segment fees; not quotes. Monarch puts empty legs at about 10% to 25% below normal hourly rates on the same page where it says "up to 75%", so treat the large discounts as the exception.

An empty leg only if your dates can move

An empty leg is the cheapest way into a whole private jet, but only when the jet's plan matches yours. If your dates are fixed, a shared charter on a small jet is the safer saving.

Our pick if you are flexible

Empty leg

$6,000–$7,000Washington, DC to New York, light jet

Best for: a one-way trip on dates and airports that can move by a day or a city.

6 to 8 seats

  • Against $8,000 to $11,000 as a normal charter
  • The flight can be moved or cancelled1
More
  • One way only: you still need a way back
  • Mercury Jets' averages put a light jet empty leg from Washington, DC to New York at $6,000 to $7,000, against $8,000 to $11,000 as a normal charter.
  • You still get the whole aircraft, so the saving grows with every seat you fill.
  • The operator sets the airports and the time, and the flight can be moved or cancelled.
  • One way only: you still need a way back.

If your dates are fixed

Shared charter on a small jet

$2,100–$3,300per hour, light jet, 2026

Best for: a group of four to six on a trip of up to about three hours.

6 to 8 seats

  • The price split by the number of people on board
  • Your dates, your airports6
More
  • A one-way price includes the empty flight home
  • Your dates, your airports, and the price split by the number of people on board.
  • A light jet costs $2,100 to $3,300 an hour in Monarch Air Group's 2026 table.
  • A one-way price includes the empty flight home, so it costs more than an empty leg on the same route.
Quilted leather seats in a private jet cabin
Photo by Yaroslav Muzychenko on Unsplash

Taxes still apply

An empty leg is a charter flight, so the federal taxes come on top of the published prices above, which Mercury Jets and Monarch Air Group give before tax.

  • Federal excise tax7.5%

    On the amount paid for a flight within the US.5

  • Segment fee$5.30 per passenger

    For each domestic segment (one takeoff and one landing) in 2026; none to or from a rural airport.5

  • International flights$23.40 per person

    For international flights that begin or end in the US, in 2026.5

Normal one-way prices to compare with

An empty leg is only a bargain against what the same trip costs as a normal charter. These are published one-way ranges for the whole jet:

  • Los Angeles → Las Vegas

    about 200 nm · 40 to 50 min by jet

    • Turboprop$5,500–$10,500
    • Light jet$7,500–$9,500
    • Midsize jet$8,600–$17,600
    • Super midsize jet$10,900–$20,200
    • Heavy jet$16,200–$25,400

    One way, whole jet. Monarch Air Group, checked 6 Nov 2026. Not a quote.

  • New York → Miami

    1,091 mi · 2 h 30 to 2 h 47

    • Light jet$18,300–$23,400
    • Midsize jet$17,500–$28,000
    • Super midsize jetRecommended by evoJets$26,900–$34,300

    One way, whole jet. evoJets, checked 3 Nov 2026, and Mercury Jets, checked 6 Nov 2026. Not a quote.

If an empty leg on one of these routes costs more than the low end here, it is not much of a deal.

The catches

The jet's schedule sets the airports and the time, the flight can be moved or cancelled, and you still need a way back.1,2,3

Details

  • The jet's schedule, not yours

    Airports and departure window are set by the operator. Changing either means extra flying, which eats the discount.1

  • It can disappear

    An empty leg exists only because someone else paid for a trip. If that trip moves or is cancelled, so is your flight; keep a backup for anything you cannot miss (Mercury Jets).

  • One way only

    You still need a way back, at full price or on another empty leg if one turns up (Mercury Jets).

  • Few seats on busy dates

    Availability is limited and cancellation terms are strict; on popular routes in peak season, deep discounts are rare.2,3

  • Close enough costs extra

    A posted New York to Miami leg might take you to Orlando, but the detour is added to the price (evoJets).

A private jet in golden evening light
Photo by Chris Leipelt on Unsplash

Where empty legs are listed

Brokers and operators post empty legs on their own pages, and we do not sell or list them ourselves.

Details

Brokers and operators post them on their own pages. Mercury Jets lists current legs; Monarch Air Group and evoJets ask you to register a route and contact you when one comes up; at Air Charter Service you tell a charter specialist which routes you fly and they get in touch when one is available. Prices on these lists move, and often drop close to departure (evoJets).

We do not sell or list empty legs ourselves and earn nothing from them. Before you pay, ask who operates the flight and what happens to your money if the leg is cancelled.

Other ways to fly private for less

Share the aircraft, fly smaller for short trips, or try a shared-seat jet service.7

Details

Share the aircraft. A charter is priced per jet, not per seat, so the same flight costs half as much per person with twice the friends on board.

Fly smaller for short trips. A turboprop or light jet costs a fraction of a large jet per hour; see the price table in how much a private jet costs.

Try a shared-seat jet service. Companies such as Aero sell single seats on shared private jets on set routes, with a short check-in before departure.7 We found no published fares we can cite, so we do not quote them.

Questions people ask

How much does an empty leg flight cost?

Monarch Air Group publishes a typical range of about $3,000 to $40,000 one way, depending on the jet and the distance, before tax. Mercury Jets' averages show empty legs from a few thousand dollars below a normal charter on short routes to over $10,000 below on long ones.

Can I book one seat on an empty leg?

Usually not: you book the whole aircraft, and you can bring as many passengers as it seats. Shared-seat services sell single seats, but those are scheduled flights, not empty legs.

What happens if my empty leg is cancelled?

The flight depends on another customer's trip, so it can be moved or cancelled. Ask the operator or broker before you pay what they refund and whether they offer another flight.

What is the cheapest way to fly private for the first time?

Usually a short trip on a turboprop or light jet shared with others, or an empty leg on a route and date that happens to fit you.

Where every number comes from

JetChalet is an independent guide: we do not sell or operate flights and we do not book hotels ourselves. Every number on this page comes from the source named next to it, in our own words, with the day we read it. Prices are published ranges, not quotes. The small numbers next to each fact link here.

All 11 sources
  1. Mercury Jets: empty leg flights, with empty leg and standard one-way averages, checked 3 Nov 2026
  2. Monarch Air Group: empty legs, checked 3 Nov 2026
  3. evoJets: empty leg flights, checked 3 Nov 2026
  4. Air Charter Service: empty legs, checked 6 Nov 2026
  5. IRS: Instructions for Form 720 (rev. June 2026), air transportation taxes, checked 6 Nov 2026
  6. Monarch Air Group: private jet charter cost (rates as of 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026
  7. Aero: shared private jet service, checked 3 Nov 2026
  8. Monarch Air Group: Los Angeles to Las Vegas route page (route page modified 6 Nov 2026), checked 6 Nov 2026
  9. evoJets: New York to Miami route page (route page updated 10 Sep 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026
  10. Mercury Jets: New York to Miami, a second source for midsize jets, so the range shown covers both (no date on page), checked 6 Nov 2026
  11. evoJets: pricing basics (seats and example aircraft per jet size), checked 3 Nov 2026

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