A seat, or
the whole aircraft?
The short answer
They are different products. A semi-private seat puts you on someone else's schedule for a per-person fare. An empty leg gives you the whole aircraft at a discount, on the operator's date. A charter gives you the aircraft on your date, at full price. Which is cheapest depends almost entirely on how many people are travelling with you.
We price whole aircraft only — charter quotes and empty legs. If you want one seat, a semi-private operator is the right place to look, and we would rather say so.
The three products
The arithmetic that decides it
An empty leg costs the same whether one person flies or eight.
The cheapest empty leg listed right now is US$1,720 for the whole aircraft with 7 seats. Alone, that is the fare. Split between 7, it is US$246 each — which is the number worth comparing against a semi-private seat.
This is why the same flight can be the cheapest or the most expensive option on the page depending on your party size, and why a per-seat price and a per-aircraft price should never be compared directly.
Frequently asked
What is a semi-private flight?
A scheduled or semi-scheduled flight on a small aircraft where you buy an individual seat alongside other passengers, rather than the whole aircraft. Operators such as JSX, Aero and Surf Air run this model on fixed city pairs. It is closer to a small airline than to charter: you pick from their routes and times, not your own.
Can you buy a single seat on an empty leg flight?
Generally no. An empty leg is a whole aircraft repositioning, and it is sold as a whole aircraft — the price you see covers the entire cabin, whether you fill it or not. A handful of brokers run seat-sharing on selected legs, but it is the exception. Assume you are buying the aircraft.
Is an empty leg cheaper than a semi-private seat?
Per aircraft, yes — dramatically. Per person, it depends entirely on how many of you there are. The cheapest empty leg listed here right now is US$1,720 for the whole aircraft. Split between six or eight people that competes with a semi-private seat; taken alone it does not.
What is the cheapest way to fly private?
On a per-hour basis, the smallest aircraft: the Pilatus PC-12 was observed at a median $3,225 per hour on empty legs, the lowest in our dataset. On a per-person basis, a semi-private seat usually wins for solo travellers, and a shared empty leg wins for groups.
Do you sell individual seats?
No. Everything priced on this site is for the whole aircraft — charter quotes and empty legs alike. If you want a single seat, look at semi-private operators instead; we would rather tell you that than sell you a cabin you do not need.