Positioning fees
Positioning fees are the charges for flying an aircraft empty to your departure airport and, if it cannot pick up another customer, back to base afterwards. They are usually billed at the same hourly rate as the occupied flight, sometimes with a modest discount, plus landing and handling for the extra sectors. On a quote, positioning may appear as separate line items, be rolled into a single all-in price, or be hidden inside a round-trip calculation. Always ask where the aircraft will start from: an operator based at your departure airport, or one with a floating fleet, can eliminate the fee, and that alone can shave 20–40% off the price.