Discover TripMATCH: The App Saving Private Flyers from Empty Leg Syndrome
Fly on private jets for less by booking an empty leg on a flight mission with JetASAP
Photo: Gulfstream G650ER. Courtesy of Gulfstream Aerospace
While many of us may suffer from restless leg syndrome, a new leg-centered condition is afloat, affecting private flyers: Empty Leg Syndrome. In its simplest terms, it refers to private flights that have arrived and deposited their passengers and now must fly to the gateway of origin or a gateway beyond without a payload.
While many companies build the cost of an empty leg segment into their rates or give elite members a chance to see this inventory and book at a discount, JetASAP has built these flights into a new app called TripMATCH, which allows any member to see and book a variety of flight options at a significant discount.
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This app allows flyers to receive targeted email notifications based on their route preferences for available flights from a robust network of charter operators. These trips include empty legs, one-way flights, and must-move aircraft. And these trips cost, on average, 40 percent less than standard charter operator hourly rates.
“We truly believe JetASAP’s list of aggregated flights is the most current and accurate list available compared to other sources,” said JetASAP founder and CEO Lisa Sayer. “We have developed a process that mimics the current workflow of aircraft operators, previously only offered to industry insiders. These flights are first come, first serve, and TripMATCH gives them the best opportunity to book these discounted trips first.”
Photo: Lisa Sayer, CEO JetASAP. Courtesy of JetASAP.
As its business model, JetASAP offers an on-demand charter option via an app that allows flyers to receive direct access information on charter aircraft operators without requiring commissions, prepaid jet card memberships, or buy-in costs. Members can submit trip requests to over 700 charter operators and receive live bookable quotes or manage cost estimates online.
Live trips are typically only offered to industry insiders and are not available to the public until now, Sayer noted, adding that this new availability feature averages at least 200 trips a day across the U.S. and Canada.
“Many operators have availability, even with charter demand at an all-time high. This is a huge opportunity for flyers to save money when many of them are seeing increasing rates,” said Sayer.
She offered some examples of flights and rates that were not accessible before this time:
Light Jet:
- Atlanta–Cincinnati $5,389
- Nassau–Miami $5,000
- Los Angeles–Phoenix $6,283
Mid Jet:
- Denver–New York $10,500
- Farmingdale–Miami $14,500
- St. Thomas–New York 17,900
- Washington DC–Nantucket $6,800
Super Mid Jet:
- Palm Beach–Boston $15,975
- Orlando–Las Vegas $30,000
- Chicago–Nashville $8,500
- Miami–Fort Worth $10,000
- St. Paul–Islip $4,000
Heavy Jet:
- Vancouver–Santa Barbara $21,000
- Cabo San Lucas–Los Angeles $12,500
- Los Angeles–Hawaii $24,500
- Austin–Montreal $17,075
- Los Angeles–Las Vegas $9,950
Sometimes an Empty Leg is Just an Empty Leg
Empty legs are a frequent and necessary factor in private aviation and are seen most blatantly when an aircraft needs to reposition or return for a charter. And they can go for as low as 75% off the standard charter price, according to various rate surveys. In fact, most private aviation purveyors try to avoid them altogether through different booking algorithms and route systems.
City pairs for empty legs are usually limited, lack demand, and are only released for booking at the last minute because of the unpredictability built into the process of private flying.
Photo: Dallas Love Field Airport. Courtesy of Gabriel Tovar / Unsplash
Flights can be canceled anytime due to weather, mechanical issues, or even passenger plan changes. When such glitches happen, the aviation company is not obligated to get these passengers to their desired destinations – as commercial carriers are required to do.
Finally, although the flight is an empty leg off an original outbound trip, the passengers aboard the empty leg portion may also be on the first half of a roundtrip excursion. They must be prepared to find their way back if a private route is unavailable or an empty leg discount is not forthcoming.
While the JetASAP tool takes some of the stress off the search, passengers need to remain flexible and resourceful – perhaps hallmark personality traits for those who like to enjoy the luxury of private aviation and want to control their time in the clouds.
