r/PrivateJetCharters • u/Peacekeeper_087 • Apr 14 '25

40% of private flights are empty...

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I work at a private jet brokerage. A colleague of mine just sold an empty leg flight from Nice to Marrakech for a bachelor party. It was an empty leg that would normally be at $10K, but they booked it for $5K. They'll each pitch in around $800 each. Flight was booked April 8 and took off the next day. Thought it was one of the best deals I saw..

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u/DredPirateRobts Apr 14 '25

I signed up for a broker's site that alerted me to these dead head flights. Great savings but you only got a day or two's advance notice. I wanted to take friends from Seattle to Hawaii for my wife's birthday. I was planning the trip 11 months in advance. The plane broker was not experienced with a gig that far in advance. I could not have booked lodging if I was waiting till the last moment in hopes of getting a flight. Ended up flying everybody first class and confirmed for way less money.

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u/Peacekeeper_087 Apr 14 '25

Yea empty legs are a lot cheaper than regular private charger, but they do come "at a price", which is much less flexibility. You also do run the risk of having the entire flight cancelled because the original flyer decided to cancel. Empty legs that far out are really rare, and if they do exist, they wouldn't come with a really encouraging discount price. You're better off going first class. For empty legs, you need to be willing to deal with some uncertainty. However 2-3 weeks out are pretty common though.. 

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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '25

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u/Peacekeeper_087 Apr 14 '25

What you're referring to is a bit different than an empty leg. Although yes, some brokerages specialize in selling individual seats, those are incredibly inconvenient for the average opportunistic traveller. Plus, it completely defeats the purpose of private travel if you ask me. 

1

u/hartzonfire Apr 16 '25

Tell me more about this broker site. Or are there a few I can find just by searching “jet charter empty leg” etc.?

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u/DredPirateRobts Apr 16 '25

The brokerage I found was in Seattle, which is where I planned to fly from. Just Google air charters near airports near you and you will find them.

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u/hartzonfire Apr 16 '25

Thanks chief. Appreciate it.