The Rise of Empty Leg Flights: How AI Makes Luxury Travel Affordable

Private aviation has long been perceived as exclusively for the ultra-wealthy. But a growing trend is challenging that perception: empty leg flights. These repositioning flights — when an aircraft flies without passengers to its next assignment — represent one of aviation's best-kept secrets. And AI is making them accessible to everyone.

What Are Empty Leg Flights?

When a client books a one-way charter from New York to Miami, the aircraft needs to return to its base or fly to its next booking location. This return flight, known as an "empty leg," has already been paid for by the original charter. Operators offer these flights at steep discounts — typically 40-75% off standard charter rates — rather than flying completely empty.

A flight that would normally cost $25,000 might be available as an empty leg for $8,000-$12,000. For a group of four to eight passengers, that can work out to less than a first-class commercial ticket per person.

The Discovery Problem

Historically, finding empty legs has been nearly impossible for consumers. They appear with short notice, disappear quickly, and are scattered across hundreds of operators with no centralized listing. Brokers who had relationships with operators could occasionally surface deals, but the matching process was manual, slow, and unreliable.

How VOLO's AI Solves This

VOLO's AI continuously monitors repositioning schedules across our network of 500+ aircraft worldwide. When an empty leg becomes available, our system instantly:

• Matches routes: Cross-references the empty leg against user preferences, saved routes, and historical booking patterns
• Alerts agents: Notifies registered AI agents whose users have expressed interest in specific routes
• Optimizes timing: Identifies flexible travelers who could adjust their schedule by a day or two to catch a discounted flight
• Suggests alternatives: Proposes nearby airports or slightly different dates that unlock additional empty leg opportunities

Real Savings, Real Examples

Here are typical empty leg savings on popular routes:

Route	Standard Charter	Empty Leg Price	Savings
NYC → Miami	$22,000	$7,500	66%
LA → Las Vegas	$12,000	$4,200	65%
London → Nice	$18,000	$6,800	62%
Dubai → Mumbai	$35,000	$11,000	69%

Tips for Catching Empty Legs

• Be flexible: Empty legs reward flexibility. If you can adjust your travel dates by 24-48 hours, your options multiply dramatically.
• Register your AI agent: Let your AI assistant monitor VOLO's empty leg feed and alert you automatically when a match appears.
• Save preferred routes: Tell VOLO your frequent routes — our AI will prioritize alerting you when empty legs appear on those corridors.
• Book quickly: Empty legs are first-come, first-served. The best deals disappear within hours.

Private aviation is no longer just for billionaires. Empty leg flights, powered by AI matching, are creating a new category of luxury travel that is accessible, spontaneous, and remarkably affordable.