Empty leg flights from Los Angeles

Los Angeles generates more private jet movements per year than any US city except New York. The entertainment industry accounts for a significant portion: film and television studios, talent agencies, streaming companies (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video), and record labels keep aircraft active regardless of season or economic cycle. Award season from January through March concentrates travel between Los Angeles and New York, London, and Cannes, producing repositioning legs that appear at below-charter rates in both directions.

The technology sector has grown into the second pillar of the LA charter market. SpaceX, Riot Games, Snap, and a large cohort of venture-backed companies with LA headquarters generate tech-pattern travel (San Francisco, Seattle, Austin) alongside the entertainment routes. The overlap between media and tech in LA means the charter market is broader-based than a single industry can account for.

Las Vegas is LA's most active short-haul corridor. The 45-minute flight from Van Nuys to Las Vegas produces more charter movements than any comparable city-pair distance in the country. Weekend leisure trips, boxing matches, music residencies, and corporate events keep the LA-Las Vegas corridor running seven days a week, generating the most consistent supply of same-day empty legs in the western US.

Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) is the world's busiest general aviation airport and the center of private aviation in Los Angeles. Clay Lacy Aviation has operated at Van Nuys since 1968 and maintains one of the largest FBO facilities in the country. Castle & Cooke operates two terminals, Jet Aviation and Signature round out the major operators. The airport handles any aircraft type and is the standard choice for the San Fernando Valley, studios in Burbank, and the Westside via the 405 freeway. Ground time to Beverly Hills is 30-40 minutes; to Century City, 35-45 minutes.

Hollywood Burbank Airport (KBUR) is the alternative for guests headed to studios, Glendale, or the 134/210 corridor. Hollywood Burbank Jet Center (rebranded from Million Air in 2025) and Atlantic Aviation run the FBOs. Burbank is a commercial airport but less congested than LAX, and the private aviation facilities operate efficiently. For Warner Bros., Universal, or NBC Universal destinations, Burbank saves 20-30 minutes over Van Nuys.

Long Beach Airport (KLGB) serves the South Bay and Orange County. Signature and AvAir both operate FBOs. For meetings in Long Beach, the South Bay tech corridor (Hawthorne/SpaceX, El Segundo), or northern Orange County, KLGB reduces drive time significantly compared to routing through Van Nuys. The airport handles heavy jets and operates with less ramp congestion than KVNY.

Empty legs departing from Los Angeles currently range from $100 to $36,600. The average listed price sits around $7,756. Broken down by aircraft: heavy jets averaging $6,650, midsize jets averaging $4,250, light jets averaging $4,000.

Popular routes with current pricing: Las Vegas, NV at $4,000-$10,000; Indianapolis, IN at $100; Vancouver, BC at $19,100. Route availability rotates as operators reposition aircraft, so today's routes may differ from next week's.

We track 166 active legs from this area. 16 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.