The CEO of a private aviation company explains the 'empty-leg' trick that can make chartering jets cheaper

• FlyJets CEO Jessica Fisher said customers can fly private for cheaper by booking empty legs.
• The startup has developed a new "fly empty" concept that matches customers flying opposite routes.

While flying private is largely reserved for the rich and famous, online aviation charter marketplace FlyJets says it can offer the average traveler a cheaper way to experience the luxury.

FlyJets CEO Jessica Fisher told Business Insider that the startup doesn't own or operate planes but works like an Airbnb for private aviation. Its core business is serving as a middleman between aircraft providers and customers to secure and schedule charters.

Within that is a cheaper alternative Fisher calls "fly empty," which she said can cut the cost of charters by nearly half. It's the latest way aviation companies are trying to make private flying more affordable.

Fisher said that these charter aircraft might otherwise fly "empty legs" without passengers to return planes and crew to a home base after dropping off a client. Charter companies typically charge for a roundtrip regardless of whether anyone is on board, so it's cheaper to find another paying party for that empty leg.

This concept isn't new. Several well-known private aviation companies, like VistaJet, sell empty legs at a discount after someone else books a round-trip flight.

However, Fisher said there's no guarantee the legs will sell, and they are typically pre-determined routes, which means fewer options and flexibility for customers.

Instead of taking other people's empty legs, Fisher explained that FlyJets fills empty planes by coordinating the entire trip as two separate legs from the start and splitting the price.

"There's a lot we can do in terms of being very cost-effective for flyers and advantageous for aircraft providers in terms of aircraft utilization and, therefore, revenue," Fisher said. "It's a win-win."

Flyers can save 40% on 'empty-leg splits'

Fisher said customers can create empty legs online via the company's paid FlyJets+ membership, which costs $290 annually, and flights are matched with another full party flying the opposite route.

"If two parties need to fly between New York and Miami and they can commit to opposite legs, then they both save 40%, and the operator gets 10% more income from both of us," she said, adding that it's also better for the environment to have fewer empty planes flying.

For example, Fisher said a seven-seater midsize plane can cost $25,000 roundtrip for one party. But if FlyJets secures an "empty-leg split" for $15,000 in each direction, customers would pay about $2,100 per seat, and the aircraft provider could secure $5,000 more.

Most fares for the same route on Delta Air Lines or United Airlines sit between $500 and $1,000 one-way through November.

Fisher said when a match on the opposing route can't be found, customers won't get the "fly empty" price but can still book the plane outright at the market rate for the charter. She said this scenario will be less likely as FlyJets' network of planes and customers grows.

The company also plans to launch a new "FlyJets Exchange" tool this fall that would allow flyers to buy seats on existing trips booked by other members, she said.

There's a growing trend of affordable charters

FlyJets joins a growing list of companies offering more affordable private air travel. The experience remains pricey, but travel experts say people are willing to splurge.

Oliver Bell, the cofounder of luxury travel company Oliver's Travels, told BI's Mikhaila Friel in June that this trend could be partly attributed to "revenge travel," where people are "willing to spend more for incredible experiences" after the lockdowns of the pandemic.

In addition to the luxury, people who shell out for private travel save time. Charters are direct flights and typically operate out of small aircraft service stations that require little or no security checks. This means customers can arrive within minutes of departure and avoid the busy airport terminal crowds.

Take the semi-private air carrier JSX, which offers flights across the US and Mexico as a shared plane but with the perks of a private trip. Shorter flights, like Las Vegas to Burbank, cost around $275 one-way, while longer routes along the East Coast corridor start around $700.

KinectAir — a company selling empty legs in the traditional way — touts itself as a ride-share for the sky. CNN reported it sells short empty-leg repositioning flights across the US and keeps prices as low as $111 by using cheaper piston and turboprop aircraft instead of jets.

The catch, however, is that the company can't sell individual seats, so the flyer has to book out the entire charter plane.

"Of course, [flying private] is by no means a "cheap" way to fly as it still will typically be more expensive than flying commercial," Bell said. "But it is much more accessible than people think, which could be why we're seeing an increase now that people are becoming more aware."

Correction: August 23, 2024 — An earlier version of this story mistakenly included NetJets as one of the companies that sell empty flight legs at a discount.