Empty Legs

[Murdoughnut]

Curious how this works, as I've never done one, but I've seen plenty posted online. Anyone have any experience picking up empty leg pax? Was curious if this was one of those things where you could offer the company $2K or something if they don't have anyone else the day of, or are you still looking at rates slightly below scheduled legs?

 

[KLB]

Curious how this works, as I've never done one, but I've seen plenty posted online. Anyone have any experience picking up empty leg pax? Was curious if this was one of those things where you could offer the company $2K or something if they don't have anyone else the day of, or are you still looking at rates slightly below scheduled legs?

They will give a discount, but not huge discounts. And it's a gamble also because the nature of the charter industry. They will cancel a long empty repo for a short empty repo to pick up passengers, take them close to the original destination, then take another short repo from there.

So your low cost empty leg could face cancelation at any time.

 

[Pilotcollin]

My company posts our empty legs 3 days before the repo. They are open for members only. They are at a good discount(around half or sometimes more). Once an empty is booked it is now treated like every other 135 leg. The vetch is you must be a member.

 

[CFI A&P]

Also depends on how aggressive/ dynamic the operator is. Sometimes the empty repo disappears because of a new live leg. Say the proposed empty repo is from TEB to IAD to be in position for a trip tomorrow, but now a live leg has been sold from TEB to OPF today, and the empty repo has become OPF-IAD after the completion of the new live trip.

Things like that happen all the time in 135, and the operator won't turn down a revenue trip to accommodate a discounted empty leg.

 

[Space Monkey]

Also depends on how aggressive/ dynamic the operator is. Sometimes the empty repo disappears because of a new live leg. Say the proposed empty repo is from TEB to IAD to be in position for a trip tomorrow, but now a live leg has been sold from TEB to OPF today, and the empty repo has become OPF-IAD after the completion of the new live trip.

Things like that happen all the time in 135, and the operator won't turn down a revenue trip to accommodate a discounted empty leg.

It is SUPER difficult to manage and exploit RANDOM effectively and profitably. People try. And with ever increasing computing power, the capabilities increase and the costs decrease. But it's still damned hard; the profits still elusive.

 

[Murdoughnut]

Thanks guys - appreciate the info. I see these ads posted online and was curious. Would absolutely be willing to take a spontaneous trip if the opportunity presented, renting a car and driving back, but wouldn't plan anything until we were wheels up - ha! I'll keep an eye out for these opportunities.