When one of our aircraft has to fly without passengers to start or finish another trip, that leg goes into SoundPass at SoundPass seat rates. Look with a free account. Book with a membership.
What an empty leg is
A charter is booked one way, for the whole aircraft. When a customer flies from Port Angeles to Friday Harbor and stays the week, the aircraft comes home with no one in the back. When someone books a pickup in Seattle, it flies there empty first. Those positioning flights are empty legs, and the trip that created them has already covered the cost of flying them.
We list every one of them in SoundPass, inside or beyond the usual SoundPass area, at the published seat rate for the aircraft class. If a leg is going your way on a day that works, you fly it for the price of a seat.
A family charters the aircraft to Friday Harbor for a week on the island. The aircraft has to come back to Port Angeles to fly its next trip.
A customer in Seattle books a flight home to Port Angeles. The aircraft flies to Boeing Field empty to collect them.
Routes and times are set by the trip that created the leg. Most legs start or end at Port Angeles, because that is where our aircraft live, but a leg can connect any two airports a customer's trip touches.
The catch, in plain terms
That is why a seat on it costs a seat rate, and it is also the part to understand before you book. We would rather say it here than in a phone call the night before.
If the customer who created the leg changes their date or time, the leg changes with it. We tell you as soon as we know and offer you the new time if it still works for you.
If that trip cancels, there is no leg to fly. Your seat payment is returned in full, and we point you to the next leg on the same route or to a regular SoundPass seat or charter.
You cannot change the route or the departure time of an empty leg; the other trip sets both. If you need a set time, a charter does that, and we quote it in minutes.
Your payment for an empty-leg seat is a SoundPass seat payment. It is held in escrow with an independent escrow agent until after you fly, so a withdrawn leg means a full refund, not a credit. The SoundPass Terms set out the details.
Seat rate or flat rate
| One-way trip | Empty-leg seats | Flat-rate charter, Cessna 172 |
|---|---|---|
| Friday Harbor, one traveler | $195 | $320 |
| Friday Harbor, two travelers | $390 | $320 |
| Portland, one traveler | $195 | $1,330 |
Seats win for one traveler and on long legs. For two or more on a short hop, a flat-rate trip often costs less. See popular trips →
How it works
Create a free SoundPass account and open the flight list. Empty legs are marked, with the route, the date and time, the aircraft class, the seats open and the price. The free account costs nothing and lets you look as often as you like.
See open empty legs →Booking takes a paid membership: Household at $25 a month or Business at $95. It renews monthly and you can cancel any time. The same membership books every other SoundPass flight and takes 10 percent off charters beyond the SoundPass area.
About SoundPass →One flat seat price, fixed when you book, for each traveler in your party. Your payment goes to escrow and you get a confirmation with the departure point and the time to be there.
Arrive five minutes before departure at the airport named on the leg. At Port Angeles, our pilots meet you at the FBO desk inside the Fairchild terminal. No security line, no TSA.
What it costs
An empty leg costs the published SoundPass seat rate for its aircraft class, whether it is a 25-minute hop to the islands or a leg to Portland or Spokane. The longer the leg, the wider the gap between the seat rate and the one-way charter price for the same aircraft.
You book an aircraft class, not a specific aircraft. Utility is our roomier class for bags and gear; High-Performance is our fastest. Each leg shows its class in the list. Rates are those published in SoundPass when you book.
See open empty legs| Per seat, any empty leg | |
| Utility aircraft | $195 |
| High-Performance aircraft | $275 |
| Membership | |
| Free, to look | $0 |
| Household, to book | $25 / mo |
| Business, to book | $95 / mo |
Rates effective September 2026. Plus sales tax where applicable. Membership renews monthly until canceled.
Is it for you?
Other ways to fly with us
Empty-leg FAQs
bookings@flycitizenair.com
flycitizenair.com
8 am to 5 pm Pacific, seven days a week
Follow us @flycitizenair
1402 Fairchild Airport Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98363
.png&w=384&q=75&dpl=dpl_3GTqWo8xfRU5i6n9mcKA8HR7XAyz){kind=small}
