Glossary
What Is a Repositioning Fee?
A repositioning fee — also called a ferry fee — is the charge for flying a charter aircraft empty to or from your trip. It covers the fuel, crew time and landing costs of a segment with no passengers aboard, and it is the main reason a one-way charter rarely costs half of a round trip.
Aircraft do not wait where you happen to be. If the nearest suitable jet is based in Fort Lauderdale and you are departing from Opa-locka, the aircraft flies that leg empty and someone pays for it. Same on the back end: after dropping you in Aspen, the aircraft either waits on the ground accruing parking and crew costs, or flies home empty. Both outcomes cost money, and both land somewhere in your quote.
This is why a one-way quote often looks disproportionate. On a round trip the aircraft is productive in both directions and repositioning is limited to getting it to you and back to base. On a one-way you may be charged for as many as three empty segments: the ferry in, the ferry out, and any deadhead the operator cannot resell. Some operators bundle this into a flat one-way rate; others itemize it. Ask which, because the bundled number is not automatically the better deal.
You reduce repositioning cost by matching the aircraft's existing position rather than fighting it. Flying a tail already sitting in South Florida, accepting a nearby departure airport, or taking an empty leg that already exists all eliminate ferry time. Flexibility on date is worth more than flexibility on aircraft type here — an operator can almost always find a cheaper positioning solution with a two-day window than with a fixed hour.
One accounting note worth understanding: repositioning is a cost of providing your transportation, so when it is charged to you as part of a Part 135 charter it forms part of the amount subject to federal excise tax rather than sitting outside it. Get the full landed price including tax, per-passenger segment fees and any FBO ramp charges before comparing operators, because headline hourly rates conceal exactly this and two quotes at the same hourly rate can differ substantially at the bottom line.