> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.planeconnection.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Manage Empty Legs

> Find positioning flights, set pricing, and publish empty legs to the charter marketplace to recover revenue on repositioning trips.

By the end of this guide, you will have reviewed positioning flights detected across your trip schedule, set pricing for empty legs, and published them to the charter marketplace.

<Info>
  The Operations module must be enabled for your workspace. You also need the appropriate operations
  permissions. Contact your workspace administrator if you cannot access these features.
</Info>

<Info>
  Publishing and pricing empty legs requires the `flights.update` ops permission. Any user with
  `flights.read` can view the empty legs list.
</Info>

## What are empty legs?

An **empty leg** (also called a dead leg or positioning flight) is a flight segment where the aircraft flies without revenue passengers -- typically to reposition for the next charter or to return to its home base after completing a trip. PlaneConnection automatically detects these segments by analyzing your trip schedule and flags them as opportunities to recover revenue.

## View empty legs

Go to **Ops > Empty Legs**. The page displays all detected positioning flights from your active trip schedule.

Each row shows:

| Column       | Description                                                                           |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Route        | Origin and destination as ICAO codes with a directional arrow.                        |
| Aircraft     | Tail number and aircraft type.                                                        |
| Date         | Scheduled date and time of the positioning flight.                                    |
| Flight Time  | Estimated flight duration.                                                            |
| Seats        | Available seats on the aircraft for this leg.                                         |
| Reason       | Why this leg is a positioning flight (e.g., repositioning, return to base).           |
| Linked Trip  | The trip number that generated this positioning requirement.                          |
| Pricing Rule | The pricing method applied (flat rate, per-seat, percentage of charter rate, custom). |
| Price        | Current asking price for the empty leg.                                               |
| Status       | Published (visible on marketplace) or Unpublished (internal only).                    |

## Filter and search

Use the controls at the top of the page to narrow the list:

* **Search** by route, trip number, or aircraft tail number.
* **Filter by status** -- toggle between Published, Unpublished, or All.
* **Filter by aircraft** -- select one or more tail numbers to show only their positioning flights.

## Set pricing for an empty leg

<Steps>
  ### Step 1: Select a leg

  Click any row in the empty legs table to open the pricing editor.

  ### Step 2: Set or adjust the price

  Enter the asking price for the leg. The pricing rule from your workspace settings is applied by default, but you can override it per leg. Common pricing methods:

  * **Flat rate** -- a fixed dollar amount for the entire leg.
  * **Per seat** -- price multiplied by available seats.
  * **Percentage** -- a percentage of the equivalent charter rate for the same route.

  ### Step 3: Save

  Click **Save** to update the price. The change takes effect immediately -- if the leg is already published, the marketplace listing updates automatically.
</Steps>

## Publish empty legs to the marketplace

<Steps>
  ### Step 1: Select legs to publish

  Check one or more empty legs in the list.

  ### Step 2: Click Publish

  Click **Publish** in the bulk actions bar. The selected legs become visible on the charter marketplace where prospective customers can browse and request them.

  ### Step 3: Monitor interest

  Published empty legs appear with a green Published badge. When a customer submits a request for an empty leg, it enters the standard trip request qualification workflow (see [Manage Trip Requests](/en/how-to/ops/manage-trip-requests)).
</Steps>

To remove a leg from the marketplace, select it and click **Unpublish**. The leg remains in your internal list but is no longer visible to customers.

## Dead leg detection in trip creation

When you create or edit a trip, PlaneConnection automatically checks whether the routing will generate a positioning flight. If a dead leg is detected, an inline banner appears on the trip form showing the expected positioning segment, estimated flight time, and suggested pricing. You can choose to publish the detected leg directly from the trip editor.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Manage Trip Requests" href="/how-to/ops/manage-trip-requests">
    Handle customer requests that come in for published empty legs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Charter Marketplace" href="/reference/charter-marketplace">
    How the marketplace connects operators with charter customers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a Trip" href="/how-to/ops/create-trip">
    Full walkthrough of trip creation including dead leg detection.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Trip Statuses" href="/reference/trip-statuses">
    Lifecycle statuses that apply once an empty leg becomes a booked trip.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>