Britain’s Most Popular Air Taxi Routes
Flying private may sound like a luxury available only to the rich and famous. However, there are ways to fly private at a fraction of the cost. We spill the secrets here.
If you have a short-haul flight coming up, it is possible to fly private at a very reasonable cost. An air taxi is a cost-effective solution to short-haul flights. Using small aircraft such as helicopters, propeller planes and light jets, air taxis are able to take off and land on short runways. This means passengers can fly to small local airports that are far less crowded than the popular hubs, cutting down time spent in traffic. If you’re flying between business meetings with colleagues or taking your family on a weekend getaway, the per person cost can be quite affordable.
Air taxis come along with all the benefits of flying private: passengers can make their own schedule, fly to the airport of their choice and reduce time spent in traffic and security. Air taxis depart from a private terminal, so passengers can drive straight to the plane just minutes before take-off instead of arriving two hours early.
Britain’s most popular air taxi routes include some of the most beautiful beach destinations in Europe. Many well-heeled Londoners holiday in Spain, jetting off to Ibiza Airport, Palma de Mallorca Airport or Málaga Airport for some time in the sun. A flight from London Luton Airport to Ibiza can cost as little as £7,900 in a HondaJet. If Mallorca is more your style, the HondaJet can get you and four friends there for just £7,000.
Many travelers use an air taxi to fly to the French Riviera for the legendary luxury hotels and the fabulous restaurants. A flight from London Biggin Hill Airport to Nice Côte d'Azur International Airport can cost £4,800 in a HondaJet. The flight to Cannes-Mandelieu Airport, another popular air taxi route, will cost you about the same. Other holiday-bound travelers head to Naples International Airport for as little as £9,500 in a Beechcraft King Air C90GTx or to Mykonos Island National Airport for the island’s iconic beach clubs for £12,700.
Of course, air taxis don’t fit the bill every time. If it’s space you’re looking for, it is possible to find major discounts on even the largest, most luxurious planes. How? In the industry it’s called an “empty leg flight.” You can take advantage of these flights in luxury at a fraction of the price.
An empty leg flight is this: When Air Charter Service has a one-way charter, the aircraft is sometimes empty when it repositions to its base, or when it continues on to another location. Operators are often willing to offer incredibly low prices to passengers interested in booking these flights, as the plane would otherwise be flying empty. In fact, flights can be discounted by as much as 75% off their regular charter price.
Example Flight Routes and Empty Legs
Our empty leg availability is always changing. To illustrate how remarkable the value can be, here are two examples of empty leg flights we receive. A flight from Luton to Geneva on a Hawker Beechcraft 750 can accommodate eight passengers and typically costs around £9,000. However, on an empty leg, that flight cost £2,000. That comes to £250 per person, which is far less than the typical cost of a business class flight on that same route. Or, we’ve offered a flight from Glasgow to Luton on the luxurious Hawker Beechcraft 900XP that can accommodate nine passengers at just £2,500. That comes to just £278 per person.
Air Charter Service and Private Jet Availability
ACS has access to a global network of 50,000 aircraft that are constantly in action. As such, we always have empty leg flights available. We keep an up-to-date list of available empty leg flights on our website at all times. However, the best way to stay on top of the available empty legs is to sign up to receive our weekly newsletter at this link. The newsletter lists the all the new empty leg flights that have been added in the past seven days. This list is not exhaustive, so contact us for assistance. If there is a specific route you typically fly, one of our empty legs specialists can contact you whenever one becomes available.
Of course, there is a certain amount of luck involved in finding an empty leg flight that meets your exact itinerary. We don’t advise waiting until the last moment to book a flight to your important meeting in hopes that an empty leg will open up. But if you’re flexible, you can take advantage of exceptionally low prices on some of the best aircraft in the world.
Contact us to learn more about our air taxi routes and empty leg options. We’ll help you find the most cost-effective private jet charter quote on the market.