Empty Leg or Charter? Five Ways to Fly Compared

What matters in the comparison

Asking which option is cheapest misses the point. What counts is how much freedom you need over route and timing, how often you fly and how many people travel with you.

We compare the five options on flexibility, planning certainty, cost structure and travel experience. We deliberately do not quote prices, because they vary widely by route, date and aircraft.

Empty leg: good value, but fixed

An empty leg is a private jet flight that would otherwise fly without passengers. You book the whole aircraft at a reduced price, with savings of up to 75 % on PrivJet compared with a comparable charter. The downside is that route and time window are fixed, and the flight may move or be cancelled if the original booking changes.

• Good for: flexible travellers, short breaks, business trips without a fixed appointment.
• Less suited to: appointments at an exact time with no fallback.

One-way charter: full control over a single sector

With a one-way charter you choose departure, destination, date and time. The aircraft flies only for you, then returns to base or moves on. Because that onward flight is usually empty, positioning costs are often included, but you gain full planning certainty.

• Good for: fixed dates, one-way trips, destinations poorly served by airlines.
• Less suited to: price-sensitive travellers with flexible schedules.

Round-trip charter: out and back on the same jet

A round-trip charter books both sectors as a package. On day trips the aircraft waits with its crew; for longer stays the operator decides whether it returns to base in between. Crew duty limits apply, so very long days may require a second crew or an overnight stay.

• Good for: same-day business trips, fixed return times, short stays.
• Less suited to: open return dates or very long stays.

Jet card: predictability for frequent flyers

With a jet card you buy a balance or a block of hours and fly on pre-agreed terms, often with guaranteed availability within a set notice period. Terms vary considerably between providers. It makes most sense if you fly regularly; for occasional trips it ties up capital that empty legs or one-off charter requests do not.

• Good for: frequent flyers with recurring routes who need guaranteed availability.
• Less suited to: occasional travellers and those looking for the best individual offer.

Business class: predictable, but tied to the timetable

Business class offers comfort on scheduled flights and is often the obvious choice for solo travellers. You pay per seat and benefit from fixed schedules. In return, you are tied to departure times, hubs and the processes of large terminals, and smaller destinations often require a connection.

• Good for: solo travellers, long-haul trips to major hubs, a fixed budget per person.
• Less suited to: groups, small destination airports, tight schedules with several appointments.

Decision guide and how PrivJet helps

These rules of thumb offer a starting point. Combining options often works well, such as an empty leg out and a charter or scheduled flight back.

• Flexible on dates and keen to save: empty leg.
• Fixed appointment on a single sector: one-way charter.
• Out and back on the same day: round-trip charter.
• Many hours a year on fixed terms: jet card.
• Travelling alone to a major hub: business class, or individual seats via ShareMyJet if a suitable empty leg is at least 7 days away.
• No suitable empty leg on PrivJet: submit a charter request, and PrivJet gathers quotes from up to 10 suitable operators in parallel for you to choose from anonymised offers.