Chicago real estate executive John Paul Beitler III has launched PlaneFinder.com, an online resource of more than 1,000 US flights that allows travellers to anonymously search and book empty leg flights on private jets.

“All our flights are empty leg flights,” explains Beitler. “Empty legs make up 30-50 per cent of all private jet flights. At PlaneFinder.com, travellers pay no charge for our service, and every booking is conducted directly with the aircraft owner or operator. We are unlocking access to the space that exists between first class airline travel and customised jet charter. For the traveller, this means they have a third option that falls between this gap.”

As an example, a party of eight people travelling one-way from Chicago to Miami could expect to pay around $500 per ticket ($4,000) for first-class seats on the airlines, while an eight person custom charter would cost around $20,000. On PlaneFinder.com, this same route on an eight seat private jet costs around $9,500.

PlaneFinder.com also allows customers to search for and see each aircraft both inside and out, with additional information covering aircraft amenities, age and safety rating.

“PlaneFinder connects the traveller with hundreds of flights from operators all over the country, with absolutely no fee, no club to join nor card to buy,” adds Beitler. “And you're booking the whole plane, not just a seat. You have total control over who is on board, whether they are associates, family, your golfing foursome or fellow adventurers, all at one set price with no booking fee of any kind.”