How to Catch a Ride on a Private Plane

Mike Lewis first became hooked on cut-price private jet trips when he saw a deal offering four seats on a flight from his local airport near Los Angeles on an Embraer Phenom 100 jet for just $500, plus tax. The catch: the trip was the next day.

“The jet was going to Tucson, Arizona and I’d never been there,” he said. “So I took it.”

That was three years ago and since then Lewis, chief executive officer of property management company Concept Seven, which operates on the West Coast of the US, has become a regular private jet flyer — for business and pleasure. He takes one or two trips every month.

The bargains come from what are known as “empty legs” or “empty sectors.” That is, the one-third of private jet flights that wouldn’t otherwise carry passengers because the planes are in the wrong place at the wrong time. The next full-fare pickup for a wealthy flier or executive — or the jet’s owner — might originate in Chicago, but the jet is parked in Las Vegas. Costs for fuel and the crew add up.

That’s where passengers like Lewis come in. His deal came from JetSuite, which has become a pioneer in this area, releasing details of its cut-price “SuiteDeals” to followers on Twitter, Facebook and the web just a day before the flights. Flights cost $500 for up to 500 miles, $1,000 for 500 to 1000 miles and $1,500 for anything further, plus 7.5% federal tax.

The price includes all the seats on the jet, plus baggage, so if there are four seats, you can use one or invite friends or family and all four fly for one price. Most jets in the program offer four or seven seats.

Website EmptyLegMarket, meanwhile, currently has about 25 to 50 offers listed at any time, with the best deals available 10 days before a flight.

“It’s a real niche group of people who are able to go on these flights,” said Lewis. “They’re usually people… in their mid-thirties with the ability to jump on a flight at the last minute and [the ability] to spend the money.”

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