Best Empty Leg Flight Websites: Compared & Rated (2026)

Last Updated by Rick: 11 July 2026

Not all empty leg platforms are equal. Some aggregate inventory from hundreds of operators and offer global coverage. Others focus on a specific region or fleet. Some require a membership before you can access listings. Others allow transactional booking with no commitment.

This guide covers the main platforms worth using, what each one does well, and which type of traveler each suits best. Note that this is an independent assessment — none of the platforms below have paid to be featured here.

This article is part of our series on empty leg flights and private jet charter.
Back to the main article: Empty Leg Flights — The Complete Guide →

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What makes a good empty leg website?

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USA Coverage by Platform

Empty leg availability varies significantly between platforms, especially for USA domestic routes. Here’s how each platform serves the American market:

Villiers Jets — USA Coverage
10,000+ aircraft globally with strong USA presence. Major FBO partnerships at Teterboro (TEB), Van Nuys (VNY), Palm Beach (PBI), Fort Lauderdale (FXE), and Westchester (HPN). Particularly strong for East Coast routes (TEB-PBI, HPN-MIA) and West Coast quick hops (VNY-LAS, SFO-LAX).

Jettly — USA Coverage
North America focused with 7,000+ aircraft. Best for USA domestic routes, especially business corridors (TEB-IAD, VNY-SFO, MIA-TEB). Strong presence at major USA FBOs. Canadian routes also well-covered for cross-border travel.

Victor — USA Coverage
European-focused broker with limited USA inventory. Better for transatlantic routes (TEB-LHR, MIA-LHR) than USA domestic. USA operators available but selection is smaller than Villiers or Jettly.

PrivateFly (now FXAir) — USA Coverage
Moderate USA presence after Vista acquisition. Growing USA inventory but still European-focused. Best for international departures from USA airports (TEB-LHR, MIA-CDG) rather than domestic routes.

For USA domestic empty legs, Villiers Jets and Jettly offer the most comprehensive coverage. Both platforms work with FAA Part 135-certified operators and update inventory in real-time based on confirmed charter bookings.

Before comparing platforms, it helps to know what actually matters for finding and booking empty legs effectively.

• Operator network size. The more operators a platform works with, the more inventory it shows. A platform with a narrow fleet will miss flights that appear elsewhere.
• Alert system. Empty legs sell fast. A platform that sends push or email alerts the moment a matching flight is listed is more useful than one that requires manual searching.
• Transparency. The best platforms show the aircraft type, operator details, and pricing clearly without requiring a phone call to get basic information.
• Membership requirement. Some platforms gate their empty leg listings behind a paid subscription. Others are fully transactional. Know which model you are dealing with before signing up.
• Geographic focus. Match the platform’s coverage to where you actually travel. Our guides on empty leg flights in the USA, the UK, and Europe cover which platforms work best per region.

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The main empty leg platforms compared

Platform	Coverage	Membership required	Alert system	Best for
Villiers Jets	Global	No	Yes	Global travelers, Europe & US
Jettly	Global	Optional (priority access)	Yes	North America focus, regular flyers
XO (by Vista)	Global	No	Yes (app)	US domestic & transatlantic routes
PrivateFly	Global	No	Yes	Europe & UK, quote-based
Victor	Europe & US	No	Yes	Transparent pricing, Europe focus
CharterHub	US	No	Email	US domestic, direct operator contact
PrivateJetFinder	Global	No	Yes	Price comparison, instant quotes

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Platform profiles

Villiers Jets
Villiers is a broker platform with access to a large global operator network. The empty leg search allows filtering by route, date range, and aircraft type. Route alerts send email notifications when a matching flight appears. The platform is transactional, with no membership required. It covers both European and North American routes with consistent inventory depth, making it a practical first choice for most travelers regardless of region. For a detailed look at how Villiers compares on features, pricing, and user experience, see the full Villiers Jets review.

Jettly
Jettly is a digital broker platform with a dedicated empty leg section and an alert system. Free users can search and set alerts. A paid membership tier provides priority access to new listings before they go public, which is a tangible advantage on high-demand routes where inventory moves quickly. Coverage is strongest on North American routes.

XO (by Vista)
XO is part of the Vista group, one of the largest private aviation companies in the world. Its empty legs appear in the Jet Deals section of the website and app, updated weekly with current repositioning flights. Booking is transactional and requires no membership. The platform’s strength is its fleet size and global network, particularly on US domestic and transatlantic corridors.

PrivateFly
PrivateFly is a UK-based broker with strong European coverage and a global operator network. It offers empty leg alerts and a quote-based booking process for flights that do not have instant pricing. The platform is well established in the UK market and covers European routes with good depth. It is now part of the Directional Aviation group alongside Flexjet and Sentient Jet.

Victor
Victor is a European broker known for price transparency. The platform shows detailed operator and aircraft information alongside empty leg listings, which helps travelers evaluate whether a price represents genuine value. Coverage is strongest in Europe and on transatlantic routes. The platform also provides carbon offsetting options for each booking.

CharterHub
CharterHub is a US-focused directory that aggregates empty legs from Part 135 certified operators. It is useful for travelers who prefer direct contact with operators rather than booking through a broker intermediary. The search interface is map-based, which makes it easier to identify flights near a specific location. Coverage is primarily domestic US.

PrivateJetFinder
PrivateJetFinder is a comparison platform that generates instant quotes from multiple operators for a given route. It covers empty legs alongside full charter requests, which is useful for comparing the cost difference between available empty legs and a standard charter on the same corridor.

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Which platform should you use?

The answer depends on your primary travel region and how often you fly.

For travelers based in Europe or the UK, Villiers Jets and PrivateFly offer the strongest regional coverage with alert systems that genuinely surface European routes. Victor is worth adding for its pricing transparency.

For US-based travelers, Jettly and XO both have strong domestic inventories. CharterHub is useful as a supplementary source for direct operator contact. PrivateJetFinder helps with price benchmarking.

For travelers who fly both regions, Villiers Jets and XO cover the most ground between them for a two-platform approach.

Using two platforms simultaneously for the same route gives a more complete picture than relying on one. Different platforms have different operator relationships, and an empty leg that does not appear on one may be listed on another. For travelers who prefer searching on their phone, several of these platforms also offer dedicated apps. Our guide to the best empty leg apps covers which ones send the fastest push notifications.

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What do travelers say about empty leg websites?

Positive experiences
Travelers on aviation forums who have successfully booked empty legs through broker platforms consistently cite alert systems as the most valuable feature. Those who have used multiple platforms describe Villiers Jets as having the broadest consistent inventory for European routes. XO is frequently mentioned for US domestic deals, particularly on the Florida corridor. The instant pricing on platforms like PrivateJetFinder is noted as useful for understanding whether a listed empty leg represents a genuine discount.

Common concerns
The most consistent frustration is the gap between listed and actual availability on some platforms. Travelers report clicking through to an empty leg listing only to find it has already been booked or cancelled. Aviation communities generally recommend treating any listing as time-sensitive and contacting the platform immediately rather than browsing casually.

A secondary concern is that some platforms promote “empty legs” that are actually one-way charter pricing rather than genuine repositioning flights, which can inflate the perceived discount. Our empty leg price guide explains how to evaluate whether a listed deal represents genuine value. Availability is limited and routes change frequently, so cross-referencing across two platforms before committing is a practical precaution.

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Flying more than a few times a year? Empty legs are not always available when you need them. See our comparison of private jet membership programs for guaranteed availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best website for empty leg flights?
No single platform has the most inventory on every route. Villiers Jets and Jettly are strong starting points for most travelers. For European routes, PrivateFly and Victor add useful coverage. For US domestic routes, XO and CharterHub are worth monitoring alongside the two main brokers.

Do I need to pay to access empty leg listings?
Most platforms allow free searching and alert setup. Jettly offers a paid membership tier for priority access to new listings. XO, Villiers Jets, PrivateFly, and CharterHub all allow free browsing and alert setup without any membership commitment.

Is it better to book directly with an operator or through a broker website?
Broker websites aggregate inventory from multiple operators, which gives a broader view of available flights in one place. Booking directly with an operator occasionally surfaces flights not listed on broker platforms. For most travelers, starting with a broker platform is the practical approach for the first search, with direct operator contact as a supplementary strategy for specific corridors.

How do I know if a listed empty leg price is a genuine deal?
Compare the listed price to the aircraft’s standard hourly charter rate multiplied by the flight hours. A fair empty leg price should be at or below that figure. If the listed price is close to or above the standard charter rate, the discount is minimal. Platforms like PrivateJetFinder make this comparison easier by showing both empty leg and full charter pricing side by side. Our empty leg price guide explains what a fair price looks like.

Can I book an empty leg on these websites without speaking to anyone?
On most platforms, yes. XO, Villiers Jets, and Jettly all offer online booking without requiring a phone call. Some platforms like PrivateFly use a quote-based model where a broker confirms availability before booking is completed.

How quickly should I act when I see an available empty leg?
Immediately. Popular routes on suitable aircraft can sell within hours of listing. Have your passenger details, passport information, and payment method ready before you start searching, so you can complete a booking quickly when a suitable flight appears.

Are all operators on these platforms certified?
Reputable platforms only work with operators holding valid certifications — FAA Part 135 in the US and the equivalent Air Operator Certificate in Europe and the UK. Most platforms display operator safety ratings from third-party auditors such as ARGUS or Wyvern alongside listings. Always verify this information before booking.

Can I use multiple platforms at the same time?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Different platforms have different operator relationships. Running alerts on two or three platforms for the same route increases the chance of being notified when a matching flight appears, regardless of which operator listed it.

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Read more

• Empty Leg Flights — The Complete Guide
• How to Find Empty Leg Flights
• Empty Leg App: Best Apps to Track Deals
• Empty Leg Flights Price: What to Expect
• What Is an Empty Leg Flight?
• Empty Leg Flights UK
• Empty Leg Flights USA
• Empty Leg Flights Europe
• Empty Leg Flights Amsterdam