Empty leg flights to the USA

The United States is the largest business aviation market in the world. In 2025 about two thirds of all business jet flights worldwide took place there, and long range jets cross the Atlantic between Europe and the East Coast every day. Many of them make one of those crossings with nobody on board: a jet that has flown a family from New York to London for the summer has to go home, and a London based jet that has dropped a board of directors in Manhattan has to come back. Those flights are the transatlantic empty legs, and they are usually the least expensive way to cross the ocean in a private aircraft.

Sectors to and from the USA available today

The first list below carries every sector we hold that starts or ends at an airport in the United States, whether it crosses the Atlantic or links two American cities. The second gives full charter prices between London, the main European cities and the principal US destinations, so each empty leg can be measured against the cost of the same trip on your own dates. Type a city or an airport into the search box to filter the first list.

Why empty legs cross the Atlantic

Every empty leg starts with an aircraft in the wrong place. On the Atlantic that happens in a handful of predictable ways, and knowing them is the best guide to when a sector in the direction you need is likely to appear.

Transatlantic empty legs are fewer than European ones, because only a minority of business jets can cross the ocean without a stop and each crossing is a big decision for an operator. The sectors are also expensive in absolute terms: a sector in a Gulfstream G450 from London to New York carries a guide price of about 34,100 GBP for the whole aircraft, which is about 2,600 GBP a seat when all thirteen seats are filled. For a family or a small group that is often the difference between flying privately and not.

Business aviation in the USA: airports and traffic

The American market dwarfs every other, but the traffic still concentrates on a group of hubs close to the money: New York, Florida, Texas, Washington and the West. These were the five busiest private jet airports in 2025, counted by business aviation departures.

For a flight from London or Europe, only a few airports matter in practice. Teterboro and White Plains serve New York, Palm Beach and Miami serve Florida, and Van Nuys is the usual choice for Los Angeles, with Washington, Boston and Chicago following for business trips.

The US airports a transatlantic jet uses

A private flight from abroad cannot simply land at the nearest runway to the house. It needs an airport where US Customs and Border Protection can meet the aircraft, and each of the usual choices has its own rules.

Private terminals in the USA from the passenger's side

American private terminals are called FBOs, and at the big fields several compete side by side. The operator chooses the handler, so on an empty leg the terminal comes with the sector, but the routine on arrival from Europe follows the same pattern everywhere.

Empty legs between London and the USA

These are the main routes between London and the United States, with the flying time, a guide empty leg price for the whole aircraft and the direction in which the aircraft most often flies without passengers. The figures match the charter price list for Europe and the USA, which gives the full price of each flight on your own dates.

New York is by far the busiest of these routes, and the one where sectors appear in both directions all year. Florida follows the winter calendar, and California sees fewer crossings but longer ones, because only the long range jets can make the flight without a stop.

Empty legs between Europe and the USA

Many transatlantic sectors start or end on the continent rather than in London, and for a party staying in France, Switzerland or Italy they can be the better buy. Each row shows the aircraft we see most often on the route, the time in the air, a guide empty leg price for the whole aircraft and the full charter price alongside it.

Shannon deserves a special mention. It is the only airport in Europe where US officers clear private and charter flights before departure, so passengers go through US immigration, customs and agriculture checks in Ireland and land in America as a domestic flight, at one of about 200 approved US airports. That makes it a natural stop for fuel or clearance, and it lets a jet land at a field with no customs of its own.

Empty legs inside the USA

Once you are in America, a second market opens. Private aircraft move between American cities all day, following the owners: to Florida for the winter, to the Hamptons, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard for summer weekends, to Aspen and the Rockies for the ski season and to Las Vegas for the big conventions and races. Many of those drops leave an aircraft flying back without passengers.

These flights are sold by American operators, because US law does not allow a foreign aircraft to carry paying passengers between two American airports. A European jet that has dropped you in New York can take you home across the Atlantic, but it cannot sell you a hop to Miami. Domestic charters also carry a 7.5 per cent federal excise tax and a small fee per passenger, which the guide prices leave out, and many domestic sectors are released only a day or two before departure, so they suit a party already in the country with some flexibility.

Which aircraft cross the Atlantic

Any business jet can reach the United States, but only the larger ones can do it without stopping. London to New York is about 2,990 nautical miles in a straight line, and flying west into the jet stream makes the real distance longer, above all in winter.

The hourly rates are the starting figures for time in the air. A single long crossing costs more per hour once positioning, crew costs, airport charges and the aircraft's return are priced in, which is why the route prices work out higher.

Fuel stops and the jet stream

The jet stream blows from west to east across the North Atlantic, so the flight home to Europe is usually quicker than the flight out, often by the best part of an hour. A jet that crosses eastbound without stopping may need fuel on the way west. The usual stops are Keflavik in Iceland, Gander and Goose Bay in Canada, Bangor in Maine and Shannon in Ireland, with Santa Maria in the Azores on the southern route to Florida and the Caribbean. A stop adds about an hour on the ground, and for a party on a budget a super midsize jet with one stop can cost far less than a long range jet flying straight through.

Rules for private flights to the USA

A private flight to America is easier than an airline trip in most ways, but the paperwork is stricter, and a missing document is the one thing that can stop a flight that is otherwise ready to go.

Taxes on a private flight to the USA

Passenger taxes on a transatlantic flight depend mainly on the country of departure. A repositioning flight without passengers is not taxed, but once you book the sector you pay the same taxes as on a full charter.

For four passengers in a Gulfstream G450 from London to New York, Air Passenger Duty comes to 4,388 GBP. The same four leaving from Geneva pay no Swiss tax at all, and from Paris they would pay 8,400 euros, which is why a party staying in the Alps often starts a transatlantic trip in Switzerland.

Coming back to Britain

Travel authorisation. American citizens and other visitors who do not need a visa must hold a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter Britain, and since 25 February 2026 the rule has been enforced on private flights as well. It costs 20 GBP and lasts two years or until the passport expires. British and Irish citizens do not need one.

Allowances. Each adult may bring in goods worth up to 270 GBP on a private flight, together with 200 cigarettes, four litres of spirits, 18 litres of still wine and 42 litres of beer. From 1 October 2026 sparkling wine counts towards the wine limit and cider towards the beer limit.

Paperwork on the aircraft. The operator files the General Aviation Report for every passenger before the flight leaves America, so the details sent at booking are used again on the way home.

How to book a transatlantic empty leg well

A transatlantic empty leg is cheap because the operator, not the passenger, chooses the day and the airports. Planned well, that constraint costs you very little.

Online calculator

If you want to see what your route would cost as a standard charter, so you have something to measure an empty leg against, use the calculator below. Fill in the airports, the dates and the number of passengers, add any preference on aircraft type, and we will send a written calculation by email or messenger. Please check your contact details carefully so that we can reply quickly.

The figure the calculator returns is an estimate for planning. The firm quote comes back from our consultants with the cost broken out line by line, and the price agreed there is the price written into the contract.

If you would rather skip the arithmetic, send us the route and the dates instead and a consultant will come back with both numbers, the charter price and any empty leg that fits.

Transatlantic empty leg calendar, month by month

The Atlantic has its own seasons, set by American summers in Europe and European winters in America. The calendar shows how busy the crossing is in each month and how many sectors we typically see.

June and September release the most transatlantic sectors, westbound in June and eastbound in September. For a trip to America the best chance of an empty leg out is at the start of the European summer and in early January, and the best chance of one home is at the end of the summer and before Christmas.

Three situations, three answers

Travelling with a dog or cat to the USA

Dogs flying from Britain or the EU to the United States must be at least six months old, carry a microchip that a universal scanner can read and travel with the receipt of the CDC Dog Import Form, filled in online before the trip. Cats do not need a rabies vaccination under the federal rules, but several states and many operators ask for one, so it is worth having.

Coming back to Britain is stricter. The pet needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel and a GB pet health certificate endorsed by the US Department of Agriculture within ten days of arrival, and dogs also need a tapeworm treatment between 24 hours and five days before landing. The flight must be with an operator the UK has approved for pets and into an approved airport, such as Luton, Farnborough, Biggin Hill or Stansted. Raise the animal at the first enquiry, as several operators decline pets on long crossings.

Empty legs to the USA: common questions

Call +44 7857 574938, message the same number on WhatsApp, or write to flight@empty-leg.co.uk. Tell us the cities, the dates and how far they can move, the number of passengers and their passports, the luggage and any pet. Our reply lists the crossings that fit, what the same flight would cost as a full charter, and the visas, permits and taxes your party needs.