Empty leg flights are heavily discounted private jet trips that happen when a plane needs to reposition to pick up a wealthy client, allowing regular people to fly like billionaires for a fraction of the cost.

A closer look

Empty leg flights are heavily discounted private jet trips that happen when a plane needs to reposition to pick up a wealthy client, allowing regular people to fly like billionaires for a fraction of the cost. Charter companies would rather sell these deadhead routes for the price of a commercial first-class ticket than fly a completely empty luxury aircraft across the country. You get to bypass TSA, drink premium champagne, and pretend you have a trust fund for a few hours, provided you are willing to fly to wherever the actual rich person happens to be. It is the ultimate travel hack for flexible narcissists who care more about their Instagram grid than reaching a specific destination. You might end up in a random private hangar in Idaho on a Tuesday, but at least you didn't have to fight for armrest space in economy