Also: Empty leg flight, Empty sector, Deadhead flight
Empty legs arise when an aircraft has to return empty after a booked flight or reposition to another airport for its next job. The flight is happening anyway, so rather than flying it empty, the operator sells it as an empty leg.
Because much of the cost is already covered by the original booking, empty leg prices are usually well below a standard charter. On PrivJet, savings of up to 75 % compared with a comparable charter are possible.
The price covers the entire aircraft. Route, date and often the time window are set by the original booking. If that booking changes, the empty leg may move or be cancelled.