How to Book Empty Leg Flights in the Jettly App (iOS & Android)

Empty leg flights are one of private aviation's genuine bargains, and the Jettly app puts thousands of them within reach on your phone. This guide gives you the exact workflow for finding, booking, paying for, and managing empty leg flights on iOS and Android. You will learn how to search live inventory, set flight alerts, apply filters, read booking status the right way, and complete payment with confidence. Think of it as a practical answer to how to book an empty leg flight, start to finish. An empty leg flight is a one-way private jet charter sold at a reduced rate when an aircraft must reposition without passengers, and availability can change fast, so setup and speed matter.

What Is an Empty Leg Flight

An empty leg flight is a one-way private jet charter sold at a reduced rate when an aircraft must reposition without passengers for its next trip; the route and departure window are pre-set, and availability can change quickly.

Here is the plain-language version. Charter aircraft rarely stay parked where they land. Once a client's trip ends, the jet often has to fly to another city for its next assignment; in commercial aviation, similar repositioning segments are often called "deadhead" flights, and these flights occur without passengers, with roughly 30% of private flights being empty legs. Selling that leg at a discount turns wasted flying time into a deal for you.

• One-way by nature. Empty leg flights follow a fixed route and a set departure window tied to the operator's schedule, not yours.

• You still get the whole jet. On Jettly, an empty leg gives you the entire aircraft for your group, private and not shared, according to Jettly's empty leg listings.

• Real savings. Jettly advertises typical empty leg savings of about 30% to 75% versus standard charter pricing, with some repositioning fares starting near $99.

What this means inside the app: you are shopping live opportunities, not fixed schedules. An empty leg is cheaper for one simple reason, the aircraft was already going to fly that route to reposition, and you keep the full private-jet experience. When the route and timing line up with your plans, few private jet charter options beat the price. See how Jettly charter works to understand the broker and operator roles behind each flight.

Empty Legs vs One-Way Charter vs Round Trip

Think of an empty leg as opportunistic inventory: this is how empty leg flights work when a private jet must reposition for its next booked trip, and the operator sells that otherwise unused segment at a discount rather than flying it empty. Empty leg flights trade flexibility for price, and that trade-off is the whole decision. A one-way charter describes your trip. An empty leg describes why the aircraft is moving in the first place.

The distinction matters most for your return. A round trip books both directions on one aircraft with your schedule in control. An empty leg only covers the direction the jet already needs to fly, so a return is never guaranteed. Plan any return separately as another empty leg, a standard one-way charter, or a round trip booking.

Departure window is the term to know here. A departure window is the time range the operator provides for takeoff rather than a guaranteed minute-by-minute scheduled departure time.

Skip an empty leg when:

• You have a fixed meeting time that leaves no slack.

• You are connecting to a cruise departure or another non-refundable event.

• Your itinerary depends on tight connections.

Empty legs can be the cheapest way to charter a private jet, but they require you to match your travel plans to the aircraft's pre-set route and departure window. Flexibility with dates can increase available empty leg options by up to 10 times. Discounts of roughly 25% to 75% are often advertised across the industry, as neutral explainers like Yond's glossary and Fast Private Jet note.

Factor	Empty Leg	Standard One-Way Charter	Round Trip
Control over time	Low (operator's window)	High	High
Control over airports	Low (pre-set route)	High	High
Price predictability	Variable, often lowest	Predictable quote	Predictable quote
Cancellation risk	Higher (tied to repositioning)	Lower	Lower
Return planning	Book separately	Book separately	Included
Best for	Flexible, price-driven trips	A specific one-way schedule	Same-day or multi-day returns

Compare these against other cheaper private jet flights before you commit.

Before You Book in the App

Empty leg inventory is time-sensitive and subject to limited availability. A listing you see at breakfast may be gone by lunch, so treat every search as a live snapshot. Knowing how to book an empty leg flight starts with accepting that inventory shifts. Nearly 30% of private flights are empty repositioning flights, which creates recurring empty leg opportunities.

Listings disappear for a simple reason. The original charter that created the repositioning can shift or cancel, which removes the empty leg entirely. Detailed explainers such as IonaJets describe empty legs as availability signals rather than fixed products.

Subject to availability means the aircraft and schedule can change or be withdrawn until your charter agreement is signed and payment is secured.

Discounts are real but never guaranteed. Compare an empty-leg price against a standard quote for the same route when you can. Jettly advertises savings of about 30% to 75% versus standard charter pricing, and last-minute bookings can sometimes reach 70-75% discounts on empty legs, though the empty leg flight cost depends on several factors, including route, timing, and aircraft type.

Four flexibility levers you can adjust in the app widen your odds of a match:

• Search nearby airports, not just your first choice.

• Open the date range to several days.

• Accept a wider departure window.

• Consider a different aircraft class.

Picture a listing that disappears. You open a promising light-jet empty leg, step away to check your calendar, and return to find it gone. Someone booked it, or the underlying trip changed. Request another option, broaden your filters, and message support to hunt comparable short notice bookings. Treat an empty-leg listing as a live opportunity, not a reservation, until you sign the charter agreement and payment is secured.

What can change	How to protect yourself
Departure time window	Keep the day flexible and confirm the window in writing
Aircraft substitution	Ask which tail or class is confirmed before paying
Cancellation terms	Read the operator's terms in the charter agreement

Know your private jet cancellation options before money changes hands.

Set Up Jettly on iOS and Android

Before hunting deals, take two minutes to set up flight alerts and your traveler details. Empty legs reward the prepared, and a half-finished profile is the most common reason a fast checkout stalls.

Install "Jettly Private Jet Charter" from the App Store or Google Play, then sign in or create an account. If you want to catch empty leg flights quickly, turn on Jettly notifications on your phone before you start searching.

iOS setup	Android setup
Open Settings	Open Settings
Tap Notifications	Tap Apps
Select Jettly	Select Jettly
Turn on Allow Notifications	Tap Notifications
Enable alerts, badges, and sounds	Allow notifications and enable each channel

Jettly can deliver flight alerts through account-based channels such as email or SMS. Open your account settings to confirm which alert channels are active, and check the current in-app labels since features update over time.

Trip management is the set of in-app tools for viewing your itinerary, documents, passenger details, and support messages after you book. Get these profile items ready now so nothing blocks checkout later:

• Legal passenger names that match government-issued ID

• A reachable phone number

• A current email address

• Billing details on file

Review the Jettly Terms of Use for how accounts, the platform, and booking terms fit together.

How to Find Empty Leg Flights in the Jettly App

Savvy travelers use the app to find empty leg opportunities and save money when routes match their needs, since empty leg availability changes throughout the day. Here is the repeatable process, and it is the core of how to book an empty leg flight without wasting time.

1. Open the Jettly app and sign in.

2. Go to the Empty Legs section (it may appear under Deals or Empty Legs depending on your build).

3. Set your departure area or airport.

4. Set your arrival area or airport.

5. Choose a specific date or select all dates to see everything available.

6. Set your passenger count.

7. Run the search.

8. Open a listing that fits.

9. Review the route, date, aircraft category, price, and departure window.

Jettly publicly lists a large pool of empty leg flights. At the time of capture, Jettly's empty leg page showed 4,792 empty leg flights, and that count changes throughout the day as trips are booked and added, for example on common repositioning markets such as Miami.

A result card usually shows the city pair, the date, the aircraft category, a price or price range, and the departure window. Some cards show instant pricing, others a range, and labels shift as the app updates, so read each card fully before you tap in. Also check seats and cabin capacity to confirm the aircraft works for your group.

FBO is a term you will meet at this stage. An FBO (Fixed Base Operator) is the private aviation terminal where you check in and board a private jet.

In the Jettly app, the fastest way to find an empty leg is to search by departure area and date range, then widen to nearby airports for additional leg opportunities, such as Palm Beach, if you don't see matches. To sanity-check whether a listing is genuinely a deal, run the route through the charter cost calculator and compare.

Alerts and Filters to Catch the Right Empty Leg Fast

Empty leg deals reward speed, and alerts beat manual checking every time. Set the system to watch for you instead of refreshing listings all day so alerts catch more opportunities as demand shifts.

Filter basics first. A filter narrows search results so you only see empty leg flights that match your airports, dates, passenger count, and aircraft needs. Use these:

• Departure airport or area

• Arrival airport or area

• Date or date range, since flexibility with dates can increase empty leg options by 10 times

• Passenger count

• Aircraft category

• Price or budget, where your build supports it

To set alerts, open the alerts or notifications option tied to your saved search or route (confirm the exact menu label in your current app). If push alerts are not available in your build, Jettly can send flight alerts through email or SMS from your account settings. These are some of the best private jet deals on the platform, and they move fast; popular routes can sell quickly when demand spikes.

Four alert templates that work:

• Home airport to any destination within 72 hours, best for spontaneous travel.

• Any airport in Region A to Region B, weekends only, for regular getaways.

• Specific city pair with flexible nearby airports, for a known route.

• Last-minute window of the next 24 to 48 hours, 2 to 6 passengers, for urgent trips.

Two quick checks fix most alert problems. Confirm phone permissions are on for the Jettly app, then confirm your delivery channel (push versus email or SMS) in account settings. The best empty leg strategy is to set alerts for a region and flexible dates, then use filters to narrow to the airports and passenger count you can actually use.

Problem	Change this first
Zero results	Widen airports and open the date range
Prices too high	Add aircraft categories or shift dates
Timing is wrong	Broaden the departure window
Aircraft too small	Raise the category, then recheck passenger count

Travelers with a dog should filter and confirm pet rules early, and can read up on flying private with pets before booking.

Review the Flight Details Like a Pro

Empty legs move fast, but don't skip the review. This is where a smart private jet charter booking is won or lost, and two minutes of checking prevents the wrong-airport and wrong-name mistakes that cost real money later.

Charter agreement is the document that makes it official. A charter agreement is the contract for a specific flight that lists the aircraft, itinerary, price, and operating terms; your trip is confirmed only after it is signed and payment is secured.

Run this pre-payment checklist before you commit:

Check	Why it matters
Exact departure airport	Cities often have several fields
Exact arrival airport	Confirm the one closest to your destination
Departure window vs exact time	Empty legs use a window, not a fixed minute
Passenger names	Must match government-issued ID
Baggage and pet acceptance	Set by the operator per aircraft
Aircraft category and cabin capacity	Confirm it fits your group
Operating carrier and certifications	Shown in your booking documents
Total price with taxes and fees	Read the full total, not the headline
Cancellation and change terms	Operator sets these terms
What is included	Catering or ground transport varies per booking

Know what charter operators do. Jettly is a charter broker and does not own or operate aircraft. Every advertised flight is operated by a certified third-party air carrier holding FAA Part 135 or Part 121 authority (or the foreign equivalent). Jettly states it vets every operator, monitors aircraft for compliance, and works with independent safety auditors, so confirm the operator details and FBO shown in your documents match the flight and verify you are dealing with reputable operators before you sign. In practice, the operator flies and manages the aircraft, while Jettly brokers the booking.

One point to read carefully: Jettly does not carry additional liability insurance, and passengers are covered by the aircraft operator's insurance. Many charters can be non-refundable once confirmed, especially within 72 hours of departure, with terms set by the operator. Empty leg charter flights can also change if the aircraft needs to reposition for its next charter or return to home base. Before paying for an empty leg, confirm the exact airports, the departure window, and the cancellation terms in the charter agreement. Those three details drive most surprises. Save the payment confirmation and the signed agreement together, and for deeper context read Jettly's private jet safety basics; if the trip includes time-sensitive meetings, leave wiggle room around the departure window.

Booking, Payments, and Confirmation Explained

A listing is not a confirmed flight. That single idea prevents most of the confusion travelers run into when they book online, and the booking flow lets more people experience private jet travel without paying full charter pricing.

Jettly follows a six-step booking flow:

1. Search or request a flight.

2. Receive aircraft options.

3. Select your aircraft.

4. Sign the charter agreement and secure payment.

5. Complete pre-flight coordination.

6. Depart from the FBO.

A Global 7500 charter can cost about $80,000, while the same aircraft may appear as an empty leg for roughly $22,000.

In Jettly, an empty leg is only confirmed after the charter agreement is signed and payment is secured, making it a form of affordable luxury travel. Until then, the listing can change or disappear. To book a last-minute private jet charter online with Jettly, search available empty legs or request an instant quote in the app, then confirm the aircraft option by signing the charter agreement and securing payment. Your flight is only confirmed after both steps are completed.

Payment secured means your payment has been successfully processed or authorized per the operator's requirements, allowing the operator to confirm the aircraft for your itinerary.

On payment methods, check the app at checkout. You will see the available payment methods for that trip, and options can vary by operator and itinerary. After payment confirmation, expect a receipt or invoice, a copy of the signed charter agreement, full itinerary details, and an in-app path to support. Light jets often deliver 30-50% savings on empty leg flights, which can make the luxury easier to access. That payment confirmation is your proof the operator can lock the aircraft. Traveling with others? Jettly's cost splitting feature lets each passenger receive their own invoice when it applies.

Booking status flows in one direction: Listing → Request or Quote → Agreement Sent → Agreement Signed → Payment Secured → Confirmed → Trip Managed.

Stage	What it means
Listing	A live opportunity, not held for you
Request or quote	You have asked for the flight or a price
Agreement sent	Terms are ready for your review
Agreement signed	You accepted the terms
Payment secured	Funds processed or authorized
Confirmed	Operator locks the aircraft to your trip
Trip managed	Itinerary lives in your app

Jettly recommends booking 24 to 72 hours ahead for the best availability, though same-day charters can sometimes be arranged in as little as 3 to 6 hours depending on aircraft positioning and crew readiness. Understanding what drives private jet costs makes the payment total easier to trust.

Manage Your Trip After Booking

After you book, the app becomes your journey management hub. Everything you need for the flight lives in one place, from the itinerary to the support line. Good trip management comes down to two habits, checking early and checking often.

Find your booking under your trips area (it may be labeled My Trips, Trip Manager, or Account depending on your build). Open the trip to see the full picture, then verify the details that change most.

What to confirm after booking:

• Departure time or window updates

• FBO addresses for departure and arrival

• Passenger manifest

• Baggage and pet notes

• Operator details

• Catering or ground transport requests, where offered

Manifest matters more than travelers expect. A passenger manifest is the finalized list of passenger names and details the operator uses for the flight, and names must match government-issued ID. After booking, check your Jettly trip details for the exact FBO and passenger manifest. Those are the two items most likely to cause day-of delays if they are wrong.

Jettly runs 24/7 live support through the app, online, and by phone. Reach the team at +1-866-448-2358 or departures@jettly.com for anything from a manifest fix to a timing question. If a charter flight changes, operator terms control; operators sell these repositioning trips to avoid flying a private aircraft empty, but changes can happen if the aircraft must move for its next booking, and many flights can be non-refundable close to departure, so contact support right away to weigh re-accommodation options. Changes are easier to manage when your travel plans stay flexible. Charter companies offer alternatives when available, though options may be limited close to departure.

After-booking check	Who to contact
Wrong passenger name	Jettly support or your coordinator
FBO location unclear	Jettly support
Baggage or pet question	Coordinator (confirms with operator)
Timing update	Jettly support via app
Catering request	Your coordinator
Ground transport	Your coordinator
Change or cancellation	Jettly support, operator terms apply
Day-of delay	Call the 24/7 line

First-time flyers can read our first time flying private guide for the basics of private jet travel start to finish.

Departure-Day Checklist

Private flights move quickly, and your prep should too. A short routine on departure day keeps a great empty leg deal from turning into a missed takeoff.

Private terminal is where it starts. A private terminal (usually an FBO) is where private jet passengers check in away from commercial airline terminals, not the main terminal used for commercial flights.

Run this list before you leave:

• Confirm the FBO location for your departure.

• Arrive about 15 to 30 minutes early, the typical guidance.

• Bring government-issued ID.

• Keep passenger names an exact match to that ID.

• Confirm baggage and pet acceptance with the operator.

• Keep your phone on for last-minute timing updates.

Empty leg flights carry the same boarding routine as any charter, just with tighter timing. They can be more timing-sensitive since they often connect to an aircraft's repositioning schedule, so build in buffer time. Plan to arrive at the FBO about 15 to 30 minutes before departure, and expect occasional timing updates on empty legs since they depend on aircraft positioning.

International flights may require extra documents, so confirm those during coordination and review this international private jet charter guide first.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an empty leg private jet charter flight?

An empty leg flight is a discounted one-way private jet charter created when an aircraft must reposition without passengers for its next trip. These flights occur because the aircraft has to move to its next scheduled route, so the route and departure window are set by the operator's schedule and availability and timing can change quickly. Jettly lists thousands of these repositioning flights at any given time.

Do I get the entire aircraft on an empty leg?

With Jettly empty leg flights, you're typically booking the entire aircraft for your group, not a shared seat. A few listings may specify shared seating, so read each card, but the standard empty leg gives you private use of the whole jet.

How much can I save on empty leg flights?

Savings vary by route, aircraft, and timing, but empty legs can offer steep discounts and are often advertised at about 30% to 75% less than standard charter pricing, with last-minute bookings in some cases yielding discounts of 70-75%. Discounts are never guaranteed, so compare the empty-leg price to a standard quote for the same trip. Neutral explainers report similar ranges across the industry.

How do I set up empty leg alerts in the Jettly app?

Set an alert for your preferred airports or regions and enable phone notifications so Jettly can notify you the moment a matching empty leg appears. On iOS, allow notifications under Settings, Notifications, Jettly. On Android, allow them under Settings, Apps, Jettly, Notifications. Alert delivery (push versus email or SMS) depends on what your app and account show.

When is my empty leg booking actually confirmed?

Your booking is confirmed only after you sign the charter agreement and payment is secured. Save the confirmation documents, including the signed agreement and the receipt, once both steps are done.

Can an empty leg flight change or be canceled?

Yes, empty legs can change or disappear if the underlying trip that created the repositioning flight changes. If that happens, request another option in the app, broaden your filters, and contact Jettly support for alternatives.

Are empty leg flights safe?

An empty leg is operated like any other charter flight, using a certified operator and crew, and what changes is the pricing and flexibility, not the safety requirements. Jettly works as a charter broker and requires operators to hold FAA Part 135 or Part 121 authority or the foreign equivalent.

What's the best way to book a last-minute private jet online?

For the fastest last-minute booking, search empty legs first, then request an instant quote for standard charter flights if you need a specific schedule. Jettly notes the best availability is often 24 to 72 hours out, with some same-day flights possible in 3 to 6 hours depending on aircraft positioning.

Start Booking Empty Leg Flights

Empty leg flights turn an aircraft's repositioning into access to private charters at reduced rates, and the Jettly app makes the whole process visible from search to takeoff. Set your alerts, apply smart filters, review the details, and remember the one rule that matters most: an empty leg only exists because an aircraft needs to reposition. That is how to book an empty leg flight without second-guessing yourself, and it is the foundation of smarter private jet travel.

Open the Jettly app today. Browse empty leg flights, set alerts, then confirm your trip by signing the charter agreement and securing payment. For help matching a last-minute route, Jettly's 24/7 support team is one tap or call away at +1-866-448-2358.