Membership programme.
A membership programme, in private aviation, is a subscription or fee-based scheme that gives members access to charter flights, empty legs or shared flights at published rates, usually without buying a block of hours in advance. Membership programmes are offered by brokers, operators and technology platforms, and their terms, fees and guarantees vary widely between providers.
| Term | Membership programme |
|---|---|
| Used in | Private aviation, charter brokerage and operations |
| Related terms | Jet card, Semi-private flight, Empty leg, Air charter broker |
| Sources | 2 listed below |
What does Membership programme mean in practice?
Membership is a broad label.
At one end are simple annual fees that unlock access to an app listing empty legs and shared seats. At the other are schemes that behave much like jet cards, with deposits, fixed hourly rates and assured availability. Before joining any programme, establish four things. What the fee buys, and whether it is refundable. Whether flights are operated by named, certificated operators, and how the programme vets them. Whether the quoted rates are fixed or indicative. And what happens to any deposit if the company fails. Membership can pay for itself if you fly regularly on routes the programme serves well, but the fee is a sunk cost if you do not. Empty legs are often available through a broker without any membership at all. A broker that does not operate aircraft, such as emptylegexclusive.com, should be transparent about whether any membership it offers changes the price you pay.
Questions
What does Membership programme mean?
A membership programme, in private aviation, is a subscription or fee-based scheme that gives members access to charter flights, empty legs or shared flights at published rates, usually without buying a block of hours in advance. Membership programmes are offered by brokers, operators and technology platforms, and their terms, fees and guarantees vary widely between providers.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jet card (accessed 2026-09-20)
- NBAA: Air Charter Brokers (accessed 2026-09-20)
Last reviewed 20 September 2026 by Empty Leg Exclusive Editorial Team.