One Way Vs. Empty Leg

We are often asked the difference in a one way flight and an empty leg flight. Although you are flying in the aircraft for the same trip, the mechanics of how the charter becomes available is very different.

One way trips are looked at by jet cards and charter providers differently. A jet card company knows that whether you are taking a round trip or a one way flight, they are obligated to perform that flight at the same cost. This is a reason that jet card pricing is often 25-40% higher when comparing hourly rates. Alternatively, chartering a jet aircraft for a point to point trip is often serviced by the client paying round trip pricing and the aircraft flying to or from without any passengers. When this occurs, the leg without passengers is most commonly called a "dead head" or an "empty leg." 

When an empty leg becomes available, the operator typically looks to sell that true one way trip to another client. This often reduces the cost because a round trip payment has already been made and they are willing to take a reduced amount since it is all profit. However, the issue arises when you are attempting to purchase an empty leg flight and then the originating trip cancels. We have seen this time and time again where one side of the trip is no longer active, which then makes the operator cancel the other side of the trip. If you wish to learn more about how to effectively book one way trips, or ensure you have an alternative plan when booking an empty leg, please contact the Private Jet consultants at sales@thepjc.com.