What happens if an empty leg is cancelled?
Updated 3 October 2026
Empty legs are cheap for a reason: the aircraft is flying anyway, for someone else’s trip. If that trip changes, your leg can change too. Here is exactly what happens at each stage with us — and how to protect an important journey.
Why empty legs get cancelled
An empty leg is the operator repositioning an aircraft before or after a paying charter. The operator’s main trip always comes first, so the leg can move or disappear if:
- the main charter changes its date, time or route, or is cancelled;
- the aircraft has a technical fault (“aircraft on ground”, or AOG);
- weather, air-traffic control, crew duty limits or a regulatory or safety issue gets in the way.
None of this is unusual. It’s the trade-off for paying less than a normal charter.
What you owe at each stage
- Before you sign: nothing. Requests and quotes are free, and a quote isn’t a reservation.
- After you sign, before you pay: if the flight becomes unavailable before you’ve sent payment, you owe nothing. If you cancel after signing, the cancellation charge is 100% of the price.
- While your payment is on its way, or before the operator confirms: if the flight becomes unavailable, you receive a credit for what you paid, valid 12 months.
- After the flight is confirmed: if the operator cancels or the aircraft is AOG and we can’t offer an alternative you accept, you receive a credit for what you paid, valid 12 months.
All of this is in our booking terms, which you read and sign before paying.
Why it’s a credit, not a refund
Most empty legs are booked one to three days before departure. At that point operators charge the full price if a flight is cancelled, and when an aircraft goes technical many give a credit for a future flight rather than cash. Our terms match that: you get a credit you can use on any flight you book through us within 12 months.
You can see and use your credit from your account, and we apply it to your next quote.
How to protect an important trip
- Don’t rely on an empty leg for a fixed commitment — a wedding, a signing, a connecting long-haul flight — without a backup.
- Keep a backup option, such as a flexible airline ticket, or ask us for a one-way charter quote you could switch to.
- Leave slack in your schedule: a day either side makes it far more likely an empty leg works.
- Check your travel insurance to see whether it covers private flights and how.
- If certainty matters most, a regular one-way charter is the better product.
Questions
Can an empty leg be cancelled after I’ve paid?
Yes. An empty leg exists because of the operator’s main trip, so it can be cancelled if that trip changes, or for weather, maintenance or safety reasons. Under our booking terms you then receive a credit for the amount you paid, valid 12 months, unless we offer an alternative you accept.
Do I get my money back if the operator cancels?
Not in money. Our booking terms give you a credit for a future flight booked through us, valid 12 months from the date we issue it. Empty legs are sold at very short notice, when operators themselves don’t refund cash for cancelled flights, and our terms follow the same rule.
What if the leg disappears before I pay?
Then you owe nothing for it. If the flight becomes unavailable before you’ve sent any payment, we tell you and that’s the end of it.
Can I cancel after signing?
Once you sign the booking terms the booking is firm and the cancellation charge is 100% of the price, whether or not you’ve paid yet. If the operator agrees to return anything, you receive it as a credit, valid 12 months.
Is a quote or my acceptance a reservation?
No. A quote is an offer subject to availability, and accepting it doesn’t hold the aircraft. The flight is confirmed only when your payment has arrived and the operator has confirmed it to us.
Jettura arranges flights as booking agent. Every flight is operated by a licensed air operator that holds operational control of the aircraft. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice; your booking terms are what apply to your flight.