The Cheapest Empty Legs: 6,494 Private Jet Prices Compared

An empty leg is a flight a private jet has to make anyway, usually to reach its next paying trip, with nobody on board. Operators sell these legs for much less than a normal charter. But how cheap do they really get?

We went through every empty leg price published by charter operators and recorded by Empty Leg List (emptylegslist.com) between 31 July and 18 October 2026. Out of 19,807 legs, 6,494 had a real published price. The rest were "price on enquiry".

Every price below is the operator's own figure for the whole aircraft, not per seat, converted to US dollars.

The headline numbers

• Median empty leg price: US$8,400 for the whole aircraft
• 1,613 legs (about 1 in 4) were listed under US$5,000
• 332 legs were listed under US$3,000
• Cheapest jet we found: US$1,134
• Median price per seat, if every seat is filled: US$1,102

The cheapest empty legs we found

These are the lowest published prices for flights with a named aircraft:

Route	Aircraft	Price
Omaha to Grand Island (and back)	Beechcraft Beechjet 400A, light jet	US$1,134
Atlanta to Knoxville	Beechcraft Baron 58, piston twin	US$1,200
Nashville to Knoxville	Beechcraft Baron 58, piston twin	US$1,200
Atlanta to Sevierville	Beechcraft Baron 58, piston twin	US$1,200
Knoxville to Nashville (and back)	Beechcraft King Air 250, turboprop	US$1,210
Austin to Houston	Pilatus PC-12 NG, turboprop	US$1,400

Nearly all of them are short hops, under an hour in the air.

Cheapest by aircraft category

Category	Median price	Cheapest seen	Median per seat	Priced legs
Piston twin	US$1,900	US$1,200	US$380	36
Turboprop	US$3,560	US$1,210	US$457	273
Light jet	US$5,296	US$1,134	US$686	1,248
Midsize jet	US$9,000	US$1,659	US$1,286	3,504
Super-midsize jet	US$9,768	US$1,751	US$1,111	614
Heavy jet	US$12,002	US$3,300	US$1,117	517
Ultra-long-range jet	US$19,468	US$1,412	US$1,498	162

The cheapest flight in each jet category:

• Light jet: Omaha to Grand Island, Beechjet 400A, US$1,134
• Midsize: Stillwater to Dallas, Cessna Citation XLS, US$1,659
• Super-midsize: Dallas to Austin, Cessna Citation X, US$1,751
• Heavy: Scottsdale to Tucson, Embraer Legacy 600, US$3,300
• Ultra-long-range: Regina to Seattle, Bombardier Global 5000, US$1,412

That last one is the standout: a Global 5000 normally flies intercontinental trips, and here it was listed for less than most light jets.

Per seat, super-midsize and heavy jets come out almost level (US$1,111 and US$1,117). A bigger cabin does not always mean a higher cost per person.

The cheapest jets to fly empty

Median price by aircraft type, for types with at least 15 priced legs:

1. Cessna Citation Ultra: US$3,900 (377 legs)
2. Beechcraft Premier I / IA: US$4,000
3. Cessna Citation M2: US$4,389
4. Learjet 45: US$4,491
5. Cessna Citation V: US$4,676
6. Learjet 45XR: US$4,802

If you do not need a jet, turboprops are cheaper still: Pilatus PC-12 NG US$2,800 (81 legs), King Air 250 US$3,400, King Air 200 US$3,541.

Cheapest by country

Median price by departure country, for countries with at least 20 priced legs:

Departure country	Median price	Priced legs
South Africa	US$5,148	91
Canada	US$5,720	632
Belgium	US$5,852	103
France	US$5,964	106
Switzerland	US$6,189	29
Germany	US$8,777	29
United States	US$8,900	4,990
Italy	US$9,002	35
Bahamas	US$9,300	31
Spain	US$9,340	48
United Kingdom	US$12,002	164
Greece	US$16,317	24
Mexico	US$19,200	30
Australia	US$19,554	23

By region, the medians were Africa US$5,814 (132 priced legs), North America US$8,400 (5,694) and Europe US$8,969 (610). Oceania was much higher at US$19,554, but that comes from only 23 priced legs.

Country medians depend on which aircraft and routes each market lists. Short hops on small jets pull a median down; long flights on large jets pull it up.

The cheapest routes

Routes with at least 5 priced legs, by median price:

1. Fogo to St. John's (Canada): US$1,977
2. Calgary to Edmonton: US$2,048
3. Houston to Georgetown (Texas): US$2,300
4. St. John's to Fogo: US$2,472
5. Dallas to Houston: US$2,600 (48 priced legs)
6. Knoxville to Charleston: US$2,700
7. Austin to Houston: US$3,000
8. Teterboro to Providence: US$3,000
9. White Plains to Boston: US$3,000
10. Naples to Stuart (Florida): US$3,000

Texas stands out. Dallas, Houston and Austin are linked by a constant flow of short repositioning flights, and they are some of the cheapest legs anywhere.

The €990 flights in Europe

One European operator publishes flights before they are confirmed, at flat prices of €990 to €1,510, without naming the aircraft. We recorded 1,112 of these across 23 countries. Some show a chance that the flight will happen rather than a firm date, and some show a normal price alongside, for example €1,090 against €8,500.

They are real offers, but they work differently from a classic empty leg: the flight may not happen. We left them out of every ranking above so they do not distort the comparison.

How to find a cheap empty leg

1. Think short. The cheapest legs are mostly flights under an hour.
2. Consider a turboprop. A PC-12 or King Air costs about half as much as a light jet.
3. Look in Texas, Florida, Canada and Belgium. These markets have the most low-priced legs.
4. Count per seat. Filled with friends, a US$5,000 light jet costs less than US$700 each.
5. Set an alert. Legs go fast: a quarter of all empty legs are gone within 24 hours (see when empty legs appear). A free alert on emptylegslist.com tells you the moment one is listed on your route.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest empty leg flight?

The cheapest jet we recorded was a Beechjet 400A from Omaha to Grand Island at US$1,134 for the whole aircraft. Piston twins and turboprops started at US$1,200.

How much does an empty leg cost on average?

The median published price was US$8,400 for the whole aircraft. About 1 in 4 priced legs were under US$5,000.

What is the cheapest private jet to charter as an empty leg?

By aircraft type, the Cessna Citation Ultra had the lowest median price among jets: US$3,900 across 377 priced legs.

How much is an empty leg per person?

If every seat is filled, the median works out to US$1,102 per seat. On light jets it is US$686, on turboprops US$457.

Which country has the cheapest empty legs?

Among countries with at least 20 priced legs, South Africa (US$5,148), Canada (US$5,720) and Belgium (US$5,852) had the lowest medians.

About the data

Data: Empty Leg List (emptylegslist.com). 19,807 empty legs published by charter operators on their own websites and feeds, first seen between 31 July and 18 October 2026, of which 6,494 carried a published price. Prices are the operator's figure for the whole aircraft, converted to USD at European Central Bank reference rates of 16 October 2026. Excluded from the rankings: one operator's flat-price unconfirmed flights (1,112 legs), and placeholder prices under US$500. Aircraft categories are Empty Leg List's grouping by aircraft type. Per seat figures divide the price by the published seat count.

See every empty leg listed right now at emptylegslist.com.