Empty leg flights from Las Vegas

Las Vegas generates empty legs in a pattern unlike any other US market. The city is primarily a destination, not a home base for corporate travel. On Thursday and Friday, jets arrive from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New York, and Chicago carrying weekend travelers. Most of those jets immediately reposition out (either back to origin or to another market), creating a surge of empty legs that appear Saturday morning and Sunday evening.

The imbalance runs both directions but not equally. More jets come in for weekends than leave. That means departing empty legs from Las Vegas on Saturday and Sunday are among the most discounted in the country, as operators need to move their aircraft and have few options for finding a paying customer on short notice.

The LA-to-Vegas corridor is the highest-volume private jet route on the West Coast. At 230 miles, it's about a 40-minute flight on a light jet. The constant repositioning between the two cities keeps AceJet's Las Vegas inventory consistently active.

Convention traffic adds a midweek layer that most people overlook. Las Vegas hosts more large trade shows than any US city -- CES in January, NAB in April, and MAGIC in August among them. Convention arrivals typically hit Monday and Tuesday; departures run Wednesday and Thursday. Those midweek windows produce repositioning legs that don't follow the weekend pattern. A jet that flew in Monday for a three-day conference needs to leave Wednesday, and if no return passenger is booked, that leg appears in AceJet's feed at a discount.

Henderson Executive Airport (KHND) is the main hub for private aviation in Las Vegas. It sits 15 miles south of the Strip, closer to the resort corridor and away from commercial traffic at Harry Reid International. Signature Flight Support operates a full-service FBO at Henderson, and the airport accommodates aircraft of all sizes. Most charter brokers default to KHND for Las Vegas arrivals.

Henderson's proximity to the resort corridor is a practical advantage. The drive from the FBO apron to major Strip hotels runs 15-25 minutes in normal traffic -- about as direct as any major market. FBOs offer car service coordination directly from the terminal, and private car service from Henderson to the Strip typically runs 0-0.

North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT) is 10 miles northwest of downtown. It's smaller, sees lighter traffic, and works well for light jets and turboprops. Operators based at KVGT handle a mix of charter and owner-managed aircraft.

Harry Reid International (KLAS) serves private aircraft through FBOs on the south end of the field, but commercial traffic slows ground operations. Most charter operators prefer Henderson unless the trip specifically requires proximity to the airport's commercial terminal or involves a passenger connecting to a commercial flight.

Empty legs departing from Las Vegas currently range from $100 to $48,200. The average listed price sits around $7,454. Broken down by aircraft: heavy jets averaging $11,780, midsize jets averaging $4,771, light jets averaging $4,700.

Popular routes with current pricing: Van Nuys, CA at $4,000-$10,000; Scottsdale, AZ at $1,917-$4,400; Santa Ana, CA at $3,500-$5,000. Route availability rotates as operators reposition aircraft, so today's routes may differ from next week's.

We track 178 active legs from this area. 37 have published prices; the rest are quote-on-request. Operators often add pricing closer to the departure date, so checking back frequently or setting an alert catches deals as they appear.