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The Atljet Library·Volume II, Empty Legs·Chapter 2 of 5

How to fly empty legs

The short answer

To fly an empty leg, follow the routes where one way charters are common, set an alert for your route, and be ready to confirm within hours: most legs appear a few days before departure and go to the first traveller who says yes. The Atljet empty legs page shows the legs flying now and sends alerts by email.

Atljet Editorial · prices from the Atljet model, November 2026 · 6 min read

A white business jet seen from a quiet private aviation lounge at sunrise

Where empty legs appear

Empty legs follow one way demand. Friday flights from London, Paris and Milan to the Riviera, the Alps or the islands come back empty on Friday or Saturday; Sunday evening returns leave aircraft in the city that fly back to the resorts on Monday. Seasonal flows do the same on a larger scale: towards the Mediterranean in June, back in September, the Alps in winter.

Set an alert, not a search

Legs appear and go within hours. Searching once a week rarely finds one; an alert on your route does. On the Atljet empty legs page you leave the route and how to reach you, and the desk writes as soon as a matching leg appears.

How to book one

Say yes quickly, with the names of the passengers and their documents ready. The leg is confirmed when the operator accepts and the price is paid. Ask what happens if the original flight moves: a good desk tells you how firm the leg is and proposes an alternative if it falls.

If your date is fixed, ask the desk to price the trip as a charter and as a possible empty leg. Sometimes an aircraft that is already flying your way makes a normal charter cheaper even when no empty leg is published.

What you will pay

Route, light jetFull charterEmpty leg
Geneva to Nice€5,600 to €6,900€2,200 to €4,100
Milan to Olbia€7,100 to €8,800€2,800 to €5,300
Paris to Nice€8,400 to €10,500€3,400 to €6,300
London to Geneva€8,800 to €11,100€3,500 to €6,700
London to Nice€10,700 to €13,700€4,300 to €8,200
London to Ibiza€13,200 to €16,900€5,300 to €10,100
New York to Miami€15,800 to €20,400€6,300 to €12,200
London to Mykonos€21,300 to €27,800€8,500 to €16,700

Atljet model, November 2026. Indicative; operators set the final figure.

A white business jet flying alone over a calm sea at golden hour

The aircraft sets the date. You set the alert.

Questions

How far in advance are empty legs available?+

Most appear a few days before departure, when the outbound charter is confirmed. Some are known weeks ahead on regular seasonal flows.

Can I change the time of an empty leg?+

Only within the window the operator allows, usually a few hours. The leg has to fit the aircraft's next booking.

Can I book the return on an empty leg too?+

Only if another leg appears on the way back. Most travellers fly one way on an empty leg and book the return as a normal charter or on another leg.

Are empty legs available outside Europe?+

Yes, on every busy charter market: the US East Coast, the Gulf, the Caribbean. The same rule applies: they follow one way demand.

Your trip, priced in four minutes.

Write the route the way you would say it. The flight desk confirms aircraft and tail number within the hour.

Get my price