Empty-leg snapshot: what two networks listed
Read these as network snapshots, not market-wide figures. Each number below comes from that company's own listings: Solusjet says its board reflects the operator network it works with, not the whole private aviation market, and EmptyJet's index covers offers listed on EmptyJet. The two also measure differently, so their figures are not directly comparable.
Solusjet
Listings first recorded on its board from October 1 to 19, 2026; whole-aircraft asking prices in U.S. dollars.
- 423 dollar-priced listings across 371 routes and 25 aircraft types; the middle half asked between $5,160 and $9,675.
- Split across every seat on board, the median worked out to $845 per seat.
- Notice was short: half of flights first appeared two days or less before departure, and 67% within three days.
- Thursday was the most common departure day (22% of flights). Compared with September, the median price held steady and new listings per day eased from 23.1 to 22.3.
EmptyJet
Priced offers on EmptyJet with departure dates in October 2026, as of October 19; listed inventory, not confirmed bookings.
- *The 38% average covers the 3,923 offers that had a full-charter estimate to compare against; the most common savings band was 25–40% (60% of those offers).
- North America accounted for 85% of offers (4,013), with a median of $10,107.
- The busiest city pair was Lexington to Jacksonville, with 29 offers.
What it means for travelers
Both snapshots put typical whole-aircraft asking prices in the high four to low five figures on these networks, and Solusjet's data shows how little notice many empty legs give. If you want to catch one, flexibility and early alerts matter more than any single listing. Our Empty Legs guide covers the trade-offs, and you can set up route alerts.
Sources: Solusjet; EmptyJet Research. Figures summarized from each report; see the originals for charts and full detail.
A jet card program built around how clients fly
Magellan Jets has redesigned its jet card program, as reported by Sherpa Report and AviNews. We include it as a clear example of how card terms are shifting, not as a recommendation.
- Flexible hours above a minimum. Clients can buy any number of hours at or above 25, rather than the traditional 25-hour increments, and choose a category card (Light, Midsize, Super-Midsize or Heavy) or a premium card tied to a specific model (Phenom 300, Challenger 350 or Gulfstream G450/550).
- Route discounts. From the 50-hour level, "Advantage Routes" take 7% off the hourly rate on a published list of high-demand corridors. In the example both outlets cite, a 50-hour midsize client flying Boston to Palm Beach would pay $8,620 an hour before federal excise tax instead of $9,270.
- Lower minimums on short legs. "Short-leg waivers" reduce, but do not remove, the daily minimum: on light jets including the Phenom 300 it drops from 1.5 to 1.2 hours, and on midsize and larger aircraft each waiver takes off 0.5 hours. Cardholders get four waivers at 50 hours and eight at 100.
- Benefits scale with commitment. Rate locks run 12, 18 and 24 months at the 25-, 50- and 100-hour levels, alongside larger long-leg and round-trip rate advantages.
What it means for buyers
Corridor discounts and short-leg waivers only help if your trips match them, and the strongest terms sit with the largest commitments. Compare the route list, waiver count and rate-lock length against your own last year of flying. Our Jet Card Guide explains daily minimums and the other terms to check, and the jet card calculator gives a rough card-versus-charter range for your hours.
Sources: Sherpa Report; AviNews. LiquidAir has no relationship with Magellan Jets.
FAA moves new charter-operator applications to a new system
Since September 30, 2026, the FAA has been moving initial applications for Part 135 air carrier and operator certificates, the certificate on-demand charter operators fly under, to its Aviation Integrated Safety (AIS) Services platform, where applicants can complete certain certification activities on a system replacing the legacy Safety Assurance System. It is an administrative change for companies applying to become charter operators; it does not change the rules for the flights you take.
A related deadline worth knowing: the FAA's safety management system (SMS) page states that Part 135 operators certificated before May 28, 2024 have until May 28, 2027 to develop and implement an SMS that meets 14 CFR Part 5.
What it means for travelers
Nothing changes for your bookings. It remains worth confirming which certificated Part 135 operator will fly your trip, and you can reasonably ask an operator how its safety management system is progressing ahead of the 2027 deadline. Our questions to ask providers cover operator checks in more depth.
Sources: FAA, Part 135 certification; FAA, Safety Management System.
How we put this together
Every figure and claim in this issue was checked against the source itself on October 19, 2026. We summarize in our own words and do not reproduce charts or long passages. Network figures describe each company's own listings at the time of reading and may change after publication. Where a source did not confirm a claim, we left it out. LiquidAir has no commercial relationship with any company named in this issue, and it contains no affiliate links.
- Solusjet, "Empty-leg prices, October 2026". Listings first recorded on the Solusjet board, 1–19 October 2026.
- EmptyJet Research, "Empty Leg Index: October 2026". Priced offers on EmptyJet with October 2026 departure dates; figures as of October 19, 2026.
- Sherpa Report, "Magellan Adds Flexibility To Its Jet Cards" (Oct. 12, 2026)
- AviNews, "Magellan Jets Redesigns Jet Cards With Route Discounts, Short-Leg Waivers and Flexible Hour Purchases" (Oct. 13, 2026)
- FAA, "14 CFR Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certification"
- FAA, "Safety Management System (SMS)" (page last updated June 17, 2026)
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