An empty leg occurs when an operator has to relocate an aircraft to the origin of its next flight, or back to base once a flight has been completed. For example, an aircraft that was chartered to perform a flight from White Plains, NY (HPN) to West Palm Beach, FL (PBI). Upon the successful completion of the flight the aircraft has to reposition back to its base.
The operator has included the cost of the repositioning flight into the overall charter price; therefore all expenses have already been covered. At this point, the air charter provider is willing to accommodate his passengers by offering a highly reduced rate.
The savvy flyer that knows of that or other empty legs can utilize the aircraft at a significantly discounted price. The operator will usually fly for the cost of fuel + direct expenses, such as landing fees, facility fees, crew waiting time etc.
Downside of empty legs
Scheduling
The greatest downside of the empty leg feature is the scarce availability of the flights. Additionally, there is rarely any flexibility regarding the schedule. Operators cannot postpone the departure of the next flight, nor can they keep an aircraft on the ground for a long time.
Cancellation policy
Empty legs cancellation is highly penalized- usually the fee is 100%! That is understandable sense the aircraft operator will not have a second chance to sell the flight.
