44 replies to this topic

[bkn42]

Well, the more destinations, the merrier, I know that much...

[drv4truk]

Start by looking at the airport stats for passenger volume from previous years. The FAA and other locations have this information on hand. I think AE was modeled on pax data from somewhere between 2000-2002. Anyways, try and start any of the top 30 airports. I won't give out any advice on aircraft, too many people have opinions of their own. BUT, if you really want to know what aircraft to get, just look at the top ten airlines. Most of them have thinned out the fleets and are also getting benefits from aircraft commonality.

Now, I always start with the same cities that are regional (within 500 miles). Make sure your starter city has at least 5-6 airports within that regional distance. I allow ONE aircraft to each destination airport, even if that means the aircraft is going to be doing 15-18 frequencies per day (but nothing under 100 miles). At the least, each aircraft should be doing 6 frequencies per day. To stay away from the lines, I prefer the Saab 2000's for any route that can do 9 frequencies or less. Anything more than 9 frequencies and I will put a D328 on it until later in the game. The idea is that while you could place a Q4 or larger aircraft on these routes, eventually your going to have to take a loss in profits or lower your ticket prices to maintain your load factor. Load factor is the key in getting the benefits out of your hub.

Always work on volume. I always try and replace smaller aircraft with larger ones, unless the route is so saturated that it can't handle it. In this case, come back and try again when your bigger. Eventually, you should be able to place an EMB170 or larger on the regional routes eventually. This helps a lot with your volume and hub benefits. Last couple rounds, I had A319's on LAX-SFO and similar.


:sniff: Keep an eye on the number of gates available throughout the game. I always keep a tally of how many gates are remaining in each city and which ones I need. This means taking one aircraft (or more) out of the rotation and putting it on gate holding duty. This way, you at least get gates in every airport nationally, without having to pay somebody extra.

:eureka: One thing that most players don't realize is that sometimes you have to change to a smaller aircraft in order to get higher profits, especially when routes are saturated. A good example is LAX-LAS. That route becomes saturated very quickly, so I normally will only bother with one frequency with a D328 until I get all of the US and some International destinations connected. Otherwise, profits fluctuate from $35K to about $500 once it gets saturated.

[RmTrice]

Good advice! Thanks. My problem was I started out with a few short-haul routes and tried to save up thinking I'd make more money with medium haul routes instead. Guess more regional routes first is the solution!

[WingsOTWorld]

Always has been and always will.

[travelhouse]

Start by looking at the airport stats for passenger volume from previous years. The FAA and other locations have this information on hand. I think AE was modeled on pax data from somewhere between 2000-2002. Anyways, try and start any of the top 30 airports. I won't give out any advice on aircraft, too many people have opinions of their own. BUT, if you really want to know what aircraft to get, just look at the top ten airlines. Most of them have thinned out the fleets and are also getting benefits from aircraft commonality.

Now, I always start with the same cities that are regional (within 500 miles). Make sure your starter city has at least 5-6 airports within that regional distance. I allow ONE aircraft to each destination airport, even if that means the aircraft is going to be doing 15-18 frequencies per day (but nothing under 100 miles). At the least, each aircraft should be doing 6 frequencies per day. To stay away from the lines, I prefer the Saab 2000's for any route that can do 9 frequencies or less. Anything more than 9 frequencies and I will put a D328 on it until later in the game. The idea is that while you could place a Q4 or larger aircraft on these routes, eventually your going to have to take a loss in profits or lower your ticket prices to maintain your load factor. Load factor is the key in getting the benefits out of your hub.

Always work on volume. I always try and replace smaller aircraft with larger ones, unless the route is so saturated that it can't handle it. In this case, come back and try again when your bigger. Eventually, you should be able to place an EMB170 or larger on the regional routes eventually. This helps a lot with your volume and hub benefits. Last couple rounds, I had A319's on LAX-SFO and similar.


Keep an eye on the number of gates available throughout the game. I always keep a tally of how many gates are remaining in each city and which ones I need. This means taking one aircraft (or more) out of the rotation and putting it on gate holding duty. This way, you at least get gates in every airport nationally, without having to pay somebody extra.

One thing that most players don't realize is that sometimes you have to change to a smaller aircraft in order to get higher profits, especially when routes are saturated. A good example is LAX-LAS. That route becomes saturated very quickly, so I normally will only bother with one frequency with a D328 until I get all of the US and some International destinations connected. Otherwise, profits fluctuate from $35K to about $500 once it gets saturated.

WOW PSA, not bad at all, some of the New Recuits may just overtake you if you let out too many Game Sectrets , still this is a Top Post