Positioning Flight

A positioning flight is a flight flown solely to move an aircraft or traveler to the starting point of another flight, without carrying revenue passengers on that leg itself. Airlines call these ferry or deadhead flights, while charter operators use them to place a jet at a client's preferred departure airport before the paid trip begins.

An empty aircraft, or one carrying only crew, flies from a maintenance base, delivery location, or off-schedule airport to wherever it's next needed for a paying trip. In private aviation, the repositioning cost is often folded directly into the charter quote as a separate fee, and crew time still counts as duty time under FAA regulations even with no fare-paying passengers aboard.

Positioning flight is the broader term for any flight relocating an aircraft to its next needed location, while a deadhead flight specifically refers to crew members riding as passengers to reach an aircraft or return home after a trip. Both involve no revenue passengers, but deadheading focuses on crew movement rather than the aircraft's empty repositioning.

Yes, most charter quotes include a repositioning fee if the aircraft isn't already based near your departure airport, and this can add several thousand dollars to a one-way trip. Booking a flight that uses an aircraft's existing positioning route, sometimes called an empty leg, can avoid this fee entirely.

Yes, empty leg and positioning flights can cut private jet costs by 50 percent or more compared to a dedicated one-way charter, since the aircraft is flying that route regardless. The tradeoff is fixed scheduling — these flights depart at set times the operator chooses, not on the traveler's preferred timetable.

Every major carrier uses positioning (ferry) flights as routine fleet management, repositioning aircraft after weather disruptions, maintenance checks, or schedule gaps, though these flights aren't sold to the public. Cargo operators like FedEx also ferry aircraft between hubs, and private charter brokers arrange positioning legs for clients on nearly every trip that starts away from a jet's home base.

Ask a charter broker directly whether your route can use an existing positioning or empty-leg flight instead of a dedicated one-way charter, since these aren't listed on standard booking sites. CEOFLIGHTS specialists can help find discounted business class fares — call (888) 851-6897.