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Best Empty Leg Flights Websites: 5 Platforms Compared

5 empty leg flight platforms, compared straight

There isn’t one “best” website for empty leg flights. The five platforms people actually use, Jettly, Victor, GlobeAir, Vaunt, and XO, operate in very different ways. Some are alert tools built on broker networks. One is a charter operator selling its own repositioning flights. Another is a subscription lottery for a free seat.

This page explains what each platform actually offers, using information from the companies’ own websites and aviation trade publications, not a “best of” list with no clear criteria. If the term is new to you, our deadhead flights guide explains where “empty leg” comes from and why most repositioning flights never appear on any of these platforms.

Why “best” is the wrong first question

An empty leg listing is a live snapshot of one operator’s already-booked schedule, not standing inventory a marketplace can guarantee. This site’s own empty leg flights guide covers why that inventory exists, and why it can vanish the moment the primary trip that created it changes. Every platform below is selling access to that same underlying volatility. The real differences are in how each one surfaces it to you, and what it charges for the privilege.

The five platforms, compared

Read that table by model, not by name recognition. “App-based” covers three very different products here: Jettly’s is an on-demand quoting tool with an optional membership layer, Vaunt’s is a pure waitlist lottery for a free ride, and XO’s blends empty-leg deals into a broader charter membership.

Jettly: the broadest inventory, membership optional

Jettly is a Canadian-founded charter marketplace, built by tech entrepreneur Justin Crabbe in 2016, that connects buyers to a claimed network of more than 20,000 charter aircraft. Its core product is instant quoting: enter a route and passenger count and get pricing back without waiting on a broker callback. Empty legs are a specific feature within that, available to browse for free, with a paid membership tier unlocking priority access and route waitlists for repositioning flights specifically. Because it aggregates a wide operator network rather than flying its own fleet, Jettly’s strength is breadth of routes rather than a curated, single-operator experience.

Victor: alert-driven, with real broker backing

Victor, operating as Fly Victor Limited, was founded in London in 2011 by Clive Jackson and has since expanded with offices in Washington, D.C., Munich, and Nice. It positions itself on quote transparency, disclosing the specific operator and aircraft before you book, which is not universal in this category. For empty legs specifically, Victor’s model is alert-based: set a route, and the platform notifies members when a matching repositioning flight appears, backed by an account-manager relationship for members on its “Funds on Account” program. This is closer to a traditional broker relationship with a digital alert layer on top than a pure self-serve app.

GlobeAir: the one operator on this list, not a broker

GlobeAir is meaningfully different from the other four: it is a European charter operator flying what it describes as the world’s largest fleet of Cessna Citation Mustang light jets, not a broker or marketplace reselling other operators’ aircraft. Its empty legs are its own repositioning flights, sold directly, with discounts it advertises up to 90% off a comparable on-demand quote. Because GlobeAir controls the aircraft itself, an empty leg listing here carries less of the multi-broker uncertainty covered in this site’s empty leg flights guide, though the same underlying risk, that the flight belongs to another client’s trip, still applies. Its coverage is heavily European, with the company reporting more than 90% of European airports within reach and a base in Austria.

Vaunt: membership as a waitlist lottery, not a marketplace

Vaunt, owned and operated by U.S. charter airline Volato, works differently from every other platform here. Per Aviation International News, an aviation trade publication, Vaunt members do not buy or book a flight directly. They join a waitlist for a specific repositioning flight inside the app, and when the waitlist closes, the member in the top position claims the entire aircraft and can bring up to three guests along at no additional cost beyond the membership fee. As of its most recent pricing update, Vaunt runs two tiers, an entry-level membership and a higher “Cabin Plus” tier with access to larger aircraft and standby priority. This model suits someone who wants the private-jet experience opportunistically and does not need a guaranteed date, closer to entering a raffle than shopping a marketplace.

XO: empty legs as one feature inside a broader membership

XO bundles empty-leg deals into a wider membership product that also includes scheduled shuttle flights, shared seats on partial-charter routes, and full on-demand charters, all bookable through one app. Membership tiers grant benefits such as complimentary seats on select empty-leg flights and priority access to new listings, with the company adding new empty-leg inventory to the app daily. Typical notice on an XO empty-leg deal runs 24 to 48 hours, tighter than a program built purely around advance route alerts, which suits a traveler already inclined toward last-minute travel over one planning weeks out. For the whole-brand picture beyond empty legs, including its membership tiers and Vista Global ownership, see our full XO review.

What to check before booking any empty leg, on any platform

The cancellation mechanics behind every listing above are identical regardless of which platform surfaces it, because they follow from what an empty leg actually is, not from which app you used to find it. This site’s empty leg flights guide covers that risk in full: the flight belongs to the client whose trip created it, and if that trip moves or cancels, your seat moves or disappears with it.

What differs platform to platform is how much of that risk each one absorbs or discloses on your behalf:

• Ask whether the listing is confirmed or floating. A confirmed empty legA flight an aircraft is already making with no passengers, usually to reposition for its next booking. Operators discount these heavily because the plane is flying regardless. has a firm departure tied to a paid, booked primary trip. A floating leg is one the operator hopes to fly within a date window. Platforms vary in how clearly they label the difference.
• Ask who actually operates the aircraft. On a broker-style platform (Jettly, Victor, XO), the operator is a third party whose safety rating you may need to check separately. On GlobeAir, the operator is GlobeAir itself.
• Read the membership terms before you pay one, not after. Vaunt and the membership tiers on Jettly, Victor, and XO all charge before you have any specific flight in hand. Understand what you are buying, priority access and eligibility, not a guaranteed trip.
• Confirm what’s included in the quoted price. As with any charter pricing, ask whether federal excise taxA 7.5% US tax on domestic air transportation, charged on top of the quoted charter price. It does not apply to flights that begin or end outside the continental US., segment fees, and ground transportation are included in the number you’re shown, or added afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best website for booking empty leg flights?

There is no single best platform, because Jettly, Victor, GlobeAir, Vaunt, and XO run different models: broad marketplace access, alert-driven broker service, direct-from-operator booking, a subscription waitlist, and a membership bundle, respectively. The right one depends on whether you want broad route coverage, a European operator relationship, or a low-cost membership for opportunistic travel.

Is GlobeAir different from the other empty-leg platforms?

Yes. GlobeAir is an actual European charter operator selling its own repositioning flights directly, while Jettly, Victor, and XO are brokers or marketplaces reselling other operators' aircraft, and Vaunt is a membership waitlist product operated by the charter airline Volato. Booking directly from the operator removes one layer of broker uncertainty, though the underlying empty-leg cancellation risk still applies.

Do I need a paid membership to book an empty leg flight?

It depends on the platform. Jettly and GlobeAir let you browse and quote empty legs without a paid membership, with membership adding priority access. Vaunt requires an annual membership to see or claim any flight, and XO ties most empty-leg benefits to its membership tiers.

How much notice do empty leg deals on these apps typically give?

It varies by platform and by listing. XO advertises many deals with 24 to 48 hours' notice. Alert-based platforms like Victor can surface a route further in advance if you've set an alert for it, but the flight itself is still tied to another client's schedule and can still move. This site's empty leg flights guide covers why that timing uncertainty is structural, not a platform failure.

The takeaway

Match the platform to what you actually want, not to which name shows up first in search results. Want the widest route coverage to shop against? Start with Jettly. Want a direct relationship with the operator flying you, mostly across Europe? GlobeAir. Want a broker with a human account manager tracking a specific route? Victor. Want a low-cost, opportunistic shot at a free seat with no set date? Vaunt. Want empty legs bundled with shared seats and full charter access in one membership? XO. Whichever you pick, the cancellation risk covered in this site’s empty leg flights guide applies the same way on all five.

We update this guide as aircraft, program, and route pricing changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it.