Inside Los Angeles: 5,424 Empty Leg Departures Across 365 Destinations

Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) generated 5,424 cross-region empty leg departures over a rolling 12-month window of listings, connecting Los Angeles to 365 distinct destinations across the United States, Mexico, and beyond. That makes Los Angeles one of the most prolific empty leg departure hubs tracked by SkyAccess, the world’s largest empty leg marketplace by listing volume.

This is a data story about a specific airport, a specific kind of flight, and the pattern those flights reveal about how private jet operators move aircraft out of Southern California.

What cross-region empty legs actually are

When a certified charter operator completes a paying charter into Los Angeles, the jet frequently needs to reposition elsewhere for its next assignment. Rather than fly that repositioning leg empty, operators list it on SkyAccess at 25 to 75 percent below the cost of booking the equivalent full charter. The traveler gets a discounted whole-aircraft flight; the operator recovers some cost on a seat that would otherwise go unsold.

All 5,424 legs in this profile count only cross-region departures from KVNY, meaning flights that leave Southern California and land in a different US census region or another country entirely. Intra-region hops within California are excluded. That filter is deliberate: cross-region legs are the sellable supply, the listings that actually reach travelers in other markets searching for a deal into or out of Los Angeles.

Where Los Angeles empty legs go

The top cross-region destinations by leg count tell a clear story about where LA-based private jet traffic flows when operators need to reposition their fleets:

• Las Vegas led with 1,224 outbound legs across both of its primary general-aviation airports, appearing in 17 of the 18 calendar months captured. The LA to Las Vegas empty leg corridor is one of the most consistent repositioning flows in the Western US.
• New York attracted 561 legs, representing the most common transcontinental cross-region corridor out of KVNY. Repositioning jets east for major charters, corporate travel demand, or seasonal shifts drives this flow.
• Scottsdale received 276 legs across 15 months, reflecting steady operator demand in the Phoenix metro that seats LA-based aircraft in the Southwest.
• Aspen drew 203 legs across 14 months, concentrated in ski season and summer travel windows. The LA-to-Aspen corridor is both geographically short and high in demand, making it a natural repositioning target.
• Miami saw 178 legs across 12 months, connecting the two largest US luxury travel markets.
• Salt Lake City, Seattle, Bozeman, and Denver each appeared consistently, collectively accounting for over 300 cross-region legs, showing that LA operators range widely into the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest.
• Cabo San Lucas, representing the top international destination in this dataset, captured 102 legs across 10 months, reflecting the strong LA-to-Baja California charter market.

The monthly spread and what it signals

Cross-region legs from KVNY appeared across all 18 calendar months in the dataset window, indicating a continuous, year-round supply of Los Angeles empty legs rather than a purely seasonal spike. Las Vegas and New York were active in 17 months each; Scottsdale in 15; Aspen in 14. That depth of coverage means travelers watching for LA-departure empty legs have a realistic shot at finding one in any given month, not just during peak travel periods.

The 365 distinct cross-region destination airports reached from KVNY underscores another dimension: Los Angeles operators fly into an unusually broad range of markets. This breadth reflects the scale of the LA charter market itself. When a wide variety of operators complete diverse charters arriving in Southern California, their repositioning patterns scatter in many directions rather than concentrating narrowly.

How to use this data

Empty leg supply is not evenly distributed across departure hubs. The 5,424 cross-region legs from KVNY over this rolling 12-month window represent a concentrated pool of discounted whole-aircraft inventory departing a single airport. Travelers with flexibility on timing who frequently travel between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, New York, Scottsdale, Aspen, or Miami have a structurally higher chance of finding a matching empty leg than on less-trafficked routes.

All SkyAccess flights are operated by certified charter operators, meaning the aircraft, crew, and safety standards are identical to a full-price charter booking. The only difference is the price point. SkyAccess carries more than 5,000 live empty leg listings at any given time from its network of 900+ certified operators, with Los Angeles area departures representing a consistently active segment of that inventory.

Travelers book the entire aircraft, not individual seats. Pricing shown on SkyAccess is all-in and covers the full aircraft for the listed route.

Browse current Los Angeles (Van Nuys) empty leg departures or search the full SkyAccess empty leg marketplace to find available listings now.

Frequently asked questions

Which destinations get the most Los Angeles empty legs?

Over a rolling 12-month window of listings, Las Vegas led with 1,224 legs out of Los Angeles (Van Nuys Airport), followed by New York at 561 legs, Scottsdale at 276 legs, Aspen at 203 legs, and Miami at 178 legs. Together those five destinations account for the majority of the 5,424 total cross-region empty leg departures tracked from KVNY.

How many empty leg flights depart Los Angeles?

SkyAccess data shows 5,424 cross-region empty leg departures from Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) over a rolling 12-month window of listings, reaching 365 distinct destinations. These are cross-region flights only, meaning repositioning legs that leave Southern California and land in a different region or country.

How much can you save on Los Angeles empty leg flights?

Empty legs departing Los Angeles are typically priced 25 to 75 percent below the cost of booking the equivalent full charter on the same aircraft and route. Savings vary based on aircraft type, route, and timing. All bookings cover the entire aircraft, not individual seats.

This data is citable with attribution to SkyAccess. For same-day custom pulls, contact press@theskyaccess.com.