How Empty Legs deals are making the private jet dream a reality.
Can you picture it? Men, you’re in your tailored Georgio Armani classic suit with that nice sheen on the fabric (trust me, it looks good!). Ladies, you’re in your Lanvin crepe jumpsuit (you know the one with cross-over front that makes your waist look bee stung?). Your hair? Not a strand out of place. You walk up the stairs of your private jet and accept the champagne flute full of Dom Perignon that awaits you.
Oh, wait! There’s the small matter of the bill.
Ahhh, the “bliss” of reality.
Ahhh, yes. There is the small matter of the (US) $2-8000 price tag these private charters boast. The champagne flute miraculously slips away from your fingers and is replaced by a plastic bag with your essential toiletries, ready to be scrutinised by a customs officer that’s had a rough day. Your Lanvin falls from your shoulders. You’re back to Uggs. How else are you going to endure hours on end squished in a chicken-coup with a four-year old that seems to love kicking the back of your chair sporadically throughout your long-haul flight? The cost of private charters make the dream of flying solo near impossible for most.
Enter Empty Legs. A way to make the private jet charter dream a reality.
Not so empty
Empty Leg charter space occurs when an existing customer books a one-way flight. Tail-coating a flight off of their full ticket price can get you savings of up to 70 per cent. But you can’t be picky and need to be flexible on the type of jet you’ll be flying and arrival and departure times. You’ll also need to be happy with last-minute cancellations, if the original customer has chosen not to fly.
How to book
The first step is to become familiar with your local carrier. They are always bound to have a few empty leg deals they can throw your way.
Then there’s the online research you’ll need to conduct. Get on websites such as, Private Fly, that offer an app you can download to stay in the loop with Empty Legs offers.
Or follow your favoured company’s Twitter feed:
Amazing Empty Legs Available 70% less than standard charter rate! http://t.co/dDsZ2pno1o
— The Charter Company (@chartercompany) August 15, 2014
The last, and most important step, is to burn your Uggs, dry clean that Lanvin and get used to the feeling of being spoilt by being able to fly with adult-sized toiletries. Learning to love champers at any hour helps, too.