Private Aviation: How It Works, and What Empty Legs Are

MASAR VIP

What is private aviation?

This guide covers chartering a whole aircraft for a private trip, rather than buying a seat on a scheduled flight. You state the departure city, destination and timing that suit you in your request, and you do not share the cabin with other passengers. The operator determines whether the route, timing and aircraft are feasible, based on availability and operational requirements.

Aircraft categories

Business jets are usually grouped by size and range. Light jets suit shorter trips and smaller groups, midsize jets cover longer distances, and large-cabin jets offer wider cabins for international flights and bigger groups. The right category depends on distance, passenger count and luggage.

Licensed illustrative image - it does not depict a cabin of Masar or its operators.

How is a quote calculated?

There is no single fixed price for private aviation; each trip is priced individually. The main factors: distance between departure and arrival, aircraft category, where the aircraft is before your trip (it may need to position to your departure airport), airport and landing fees, crew costs, and applicable taxes and regulatory fees. Before committing, ask the service provider for a written quote identifying the operator, the aircraft or category, the timing, the total price, inclusions and exclusions, the validity period, and cancellation and refund terms.

What are empty legs (repositioning flights)?

Also known as repositioning flights. When an aircraft needs to move without passengers to the location of its next trip or back to base, the operator may offer that sector at a lower price than a standard charter.

Know the conditions before you rely on one: the operator sets its route and approximate timing, it is a one-way flight, and its timing can change or the flight can be cancelled with the operator’s schedule. It suits travellers with flexible timing, and it does not suit travel that cannot move.

What to prepare before requesting a quote

The clearer your details, the more precise the quote. Prepare: departure city and destination, your travel date and how flexible your timing is, the number of passengers, approximate luggage, any stop you want on the way, and how to reach you.

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