Empty Leg ListVerified

Empty Leg List is a website that shows empty leg flights from charter operators around the world in one place. It has tracked more than 25,000 empty legs from 79 operators since July, with departures from 92 countries. The list updates three times a day.

What an empty leg is

A charter aircraft often flies one leg with no passengers. It may be going back to base after a one way trip, or moving to collect its next client. The operator pays for fuel and crew either way, so it offers that flight at a lower price. The aircraft and crew are the same as on a normal charter. The route and time are set by the operator, and the flight can be cancelled if the main charter changes.

How the site works

• Search: filter by route, date, aircraft, seats and price. There are pages for cities, countries, routes and aircraft types.
• Prices: a published price is the operator's own figure for the whole aircraft, not a price per seat.
• Enquiries: your request goes to operators covering the route. They confirm the flight and the final price with you directly.
• Alerts: give a route and an email, and hear when a matching flight is listed.

Predictions, in beta

Empty legs appear at short notice, so the site is testing a way to see them coming. Its model looks at past flights, routes and world events, then says which routes are likely to get an empty leg the following week. Every prediction is scored in public against what really gets listed.

For charter operators

Operators can list their empty legs at no cost and receive the enquiries directly. The site takes no commission.

Good to know

Empty Leg List is a listing service. It isn't a broker, an air carrier or an aircraft operator, and it isn't a party to any booking. It's run by Publishing Office SRL, the team behind The Flying Engineer.