Empty leg flights from Scottsdale

Scottsdale runs on a winter cycle. From January through April, the Phoenix metro draws more private aviation traffic than any other warm-weather market in the country. The Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, Barrett-Jackson car auctions in January, and Cactus League spring training games from March through early April each generate concentrated charter demand that sends rates higher and fills local ramp space.

That volume of inbound traffic creates a steady supply of outbound empty legs. Operators who fly a group in for a golf trip need their aircraft somewhere else for the week, and those repositioning flights show up in AceJet's feed. The Pacific Northwest, Midwest, and Northeast are the most common destinations for these legs.

Summer is slow. Phoenix in July and August is too hot for leisure travel and corporate demand drops with it. Spring shoulder season (April through May) produces some of the best empty leg pricing as operators try to fill southbound legs back into the market.

Golf is the primary leisure driver outside the marquee events. The Phoenix metro has more golf courses per capita than any major US market, and corporate golf trips from the Midwest and California run October through May. Those trips keep the inbound charter market active during months when event pricing doesn't apply, and their operators still need to reposition aircraft after drop-off. Scottsdale's growing technology sector (home to Axon, GoDaddy, and a cluster of financial services firms) has added a year-round corporate charter layer connecting to San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.

Scottsdale Airport (KSDL) is the center of private aviation in the Phoenix metro. It sits entirely within Scottsdale city limits, directly accessible from the resort corridor on North Scottsdale Road. Signature Flight Support and Million Air both operate full-service FBOs here. The runway is 8,249 feet long at 1,510 feet elevation, with no performance constraints for any business jet. It's one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country by operations during peak season.

Scottsdale operates without commercial traffic, which keeps ground operations fast. Ramp-to-car times at KSDL are consistently quicker than at Sky Harbor. The resort corridor on North Scottsdale Road (Four Seasons, Boulders, Sanctuary, Fairmont) is 10-15 minutes from the FBO apron.

Falcon Field (KFFZ) in Mesa serves the eastern valley. It handles light jets and turboprops and works for trips to the Mesa and Gilbert corridor, about 20 miles from the Scottsdale resort area.

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) in the northwest metro is another option for smaller aircraft. Phoenix Sky Harbor (KPHX), the commercial airport, has FBOs for private aircraft, but most operators avoid it during peak commercial periods because of ramp congestion and slower ground service.

Empty legs departing from Scottsdale currently range from $3,500 to $15,000. The average listed price sits around $8,416. Broken down by aircraft: midsize jets averaging $6,250, heavy jets averaging $13,900, light jets averaging $15,000.

Popular routes with current pricing: Las Vegas, NV at $3,500-$5,600; Calgary, AB at $15,000; Jackson, WY at $7,900. Route availability rotates as operators reposition aircraft, so today's routes may differ from next week's.

We track 55 active legs from this area. 6 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.