In preparation

Empty legs by auction

Most empty legs are published without a price: the operator asks you to enquire and decides case by case. An auction turns that around: the operator names the least it will accept, buyers make offers until a deadline, and the aircraft flies for the best one. Nothing here is live yet. This page explains the idea and asks whether you would use it.

What the record says

 legs on the board now
 %of them carry a published price; the rest say "enquire"
 recorded legs left the board before their departure date, sold or withdrawn, we cannot tell which
 days a past leg stayed listed, on average

Read live from our record, kept since 30 July 2026. A leg leaving the board is not proof it sold; operators also withdraw legs when the aircraft's plans change.

How it would work

  1. The operator lists the leg with a floor: the lowest figure it would fly for, and a deadline, say 24 to 72 hours before departure.
  2. Buyers see the floor, the route, the aircraft and the deadline, and place an offer at or above the floor. Each offer is a firm commitment to pay if it wins.
  3. At the deadline the highest offer wins. The operator contracts directly with the winner, as with any charter; we are not a party to the flight.
  4. If nobody reaches the floor, the leg stays on the ordinary list and the operator sells it as it does today. The operator loses nothing by trying.

Why it might be better than "enquire"

For the buyer: a price that is at least known at the floor, a fair race instead of a phone queue, and a clear moment when the answer comes. For the operator: a floor that protects the margin, several buyers competing instead of one negotiating downward, and a decision date that fits the aircraft's schedule. For an empty leg that would otherwise fly empty, the floor can be low and still be revenue.

What we have not solved

Whether offers should be public or sealed. What happens when the winner does not pay: a deposit at offer time is the obvious answer, and it is the same mechanism as our enquiry with deposit. Whether operators will set floors at all. That last one is the question this page exists to answer, so if you are an operator, the form below is for you too.

Tell us you are interested

No commitment, no payment, no newsletter. We write to you once, when this exists, and once more if we need a tester. Privacy.

Stored in our own database, product "auction", nothing else. Not shared with operators or anyone.

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