Of course, any flight that takes place almost empty is bad for the environment and bad for airline finances. But precisely for these reasons, airlines don't operate ghost flights without cause.

Yes, airlines do occasionally fly "empty" or near-empty flights, a practice often referred to as "Ghost Flights" or "Positioning Flights." These flights occur for several logistical reasons in 2026. The most common reason is to move an aircraft from a city where it ended its day to another hub where it is needed for the morning rush. Another reason is for maintenance; a plane might fly empty to a specific "MRO" (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility in another state. Historically, airlines also flew ghost flights to preserve their "Slot Pairs" at congested airports like London Heathrow or New York's JFK; under "use-it-or-lose-it" rules, an airline must fly a certain percentage of its scheduled slots to keep them. While environmental regulations in 2026 have become stricter to discourage unnecessary carbon emissions, the complexity of global flight schedules means that "rebalancing" the fleet sometimes makes flying an empty jet more cost-effective than canceling a later, fully-booked flight. Additionally, "ferry flights" are used to deliver brand-new aircraft from the factory (like Boeing in Seattle or Airbus in Toulouse) to the purchasing airline's home base.