Empty Leg

An empty leg (or 'dead leg') is a flight an operator must fly with no passengers — for example returning to base after a one-way charter or positioning to pick up the next client. Operators often sell these at a steep discount, but they're only useful if the timing and route happen to fit your plans.

Why it matters: empty legs exist because charter aircraft must frequently reposition without passengers, and operators would rather recover some cost than fly the sector empty. The discounts can be substantial relative to an on-demand quote for the same route.

The trade is certainty: an empty leg exists only because another customer's trip requires the repositioning, so if that trip changes or cancels, the empty leg moves or vanishes with it. They suit flexible travellers with movable plans; they are the wrong tool for a meeting you cannot miss.