Perhaps this will be implemented in the future when the capability is there. AE currently doesn't have the ability to calculate seasonal demand, so instead, I believe it shows it as being year-round which removes the whole point of seasonal flights. If seasonality is implemented in the future, then I could see a case for it.

Choosing days also requires a feature that either simply doesn't exist, or would require a change to implement. In the case of AE, this is scheduling, which currently is basically hours/week. Demand doesn't really care what day they're flying there and back (it's basically consistent every day), so all that's really necessary is a basic flights/week thing. Adding specific dates in which a flight would be would require a major change — instead of just figuring out how many hours a flight takes up and using basic subtraction, you'd also need to figure out what days a flight is flying, schedule each individual aircraft day by day or hour by hour ensuring that flights can operate non-consistent everyday schedules, and do the same thing for fleets of hundreds of aircraft, dramatically increasing calculations. Some sims like Airlinesim have managed to do this, but considering they're a paid program which operates in real-time, they can allow for this. I have no idea how we'd implement this into AE. 

I formally withdraw my application to the National Alliance due to inactivity and a lack of response. I sincerely apologise and with the National Alliance the best of luck in their endeavours.

Cheers,

N664US

Is this even still a thing?

Here's my two cents on this.

Today's rebrandings are all about keeping the core elements, and reforming the rest of them. I figured that what's most important here is the bear (which is on the Californian flag) and the sunrise colours (yellow, orange, red). Doing that, I got this:

I really hope the changes I've made aren't too radical to the brand's integrity. You previously said that you want something akin to Alaska, so I went for a low-costy approach. 

I'm no professional, but I have a few steps when it comes to brand creation.

Step 1: Research Real-World Airlines.

No one likes an airline that doesn't fit the country it's supposed to be based in, whether that's because it's based solely off of stereotypes or if it's because it looks like it's from somewhere else (ie. the "ME3 look" in anywhere that isn't, well, the Middle East). Wikipedia lists like "List of Defunct Airlines of xxx" and "List of Airlines of xxx" are always a good start to get a grasp of how the aviation industry of the area has been shaped. Looking at past brands can give you a feel of what you want your airline to look like, prevent yourself from accidentally making a near-copy of a pre-existing airline, and ensure that your brand has the right "feel."

Step 2: Research Your Country.

If you're thinking about making a flag carrier, it's always best to make a brand that reflects something about the government of the country (seals, flags, national ensigns, etc.). If you're making a low-cost carrier, think about taking something associated with the country and twisting it to look "fresh" or "new." Remember what you've seen in Step 1 to make sure this airline doesn't end up being too cliché. This is also where you can think of potential names.

Step 3: Research the Period.

This is especially applicable if you're making a livery from the past, but even then still applicable for modern liveries. Searches for things like "Edinburgh Airport 2005" or "JFK Airport 2005" are nice for this, because you get to see a variety of brands on time-applicable aircraft and see how certain regions aim for certain styles on their liveries. 

Step 3: Sketch a Logo.

I know what you're thinking. N664US, I make brands on my computer. Why do I need paper for this? Paper is great, if only because you have an eraser for your mistakes and it's easy to change things so you know what you're looking for. Use the ideas you got from Steps 1+2 and make a draft logo. It doesn't have to look perfect, just neat enough that you like how it looks. Also, know that this is where creativity comes in. If you want a moose, for example, don't just make a photo-realistic moose with antlers and all. Try going for something stylised (just the head and antlers, for example) if that appeals to you. Call me crazy, but I like to apply the vexillology rules for a good flag to aid me in creating logos. It's nice to Google things like "bird logo" or something like that for inspiration, but should not be a source for stealing logos.

Step 4: Bring it to Life.

Here's where you pull out the computer. Try making your logo on a computer now. Be sure, however, to use only one colour (black or white). That way, you can see what it looks like in monochrome and make sure it will work in applications real-world airlines will use as well (boarding passes, signs, etc.). If it's too complex or uses too many colours, chances are it won't work in monochrome.

Step 5: Perfect Your Logo.

When you're pleased with what you've done, try adding a splash of colour. You can use websites like coolors.co to find nice colour palettes that work well with each other. Try using only a few colours for your airlines, and ones that complement each other. Most brands (Delta, American, British Airways, Air France, KLM, etc.) only use one or two colours when they create their full-colour logos.

Step 6: Look for Fonts.

This is a difficult step. Using font websites like dafont.com, try looking for fonts that "fit" your brand. Once you have a name at hand to accompany your logo, download a few test fonts to see if there's one you like. Make sure it can be read from a distance and fits the same "style" of your logo. I don't really know how to describe it, but there's a moment when things just "click" together and it looks good. Remember that you want to make sure that the font fits the time and colour choices you made earlier, and look to what you saw in Step 3 for time-applicable fonts. 

I'm not sure how applicable this would be for you, but this is all I have. It's gotten me far enough to get things like Danske and Algérien, and I'm sure it can help you too. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

It's the aircraft age factor I'm thinking of. Cost isn't an issue currently

Looking at your airline, the average age of the 757-300 fleet is 1.41 years, and for your airline, it's 1.14 years. I wouldn't consider age a problem at all where you are right now. That being said, your reputation will drop as age increases — ie. running twenty-year-old aircraft is not a good idea. I personally tend to replace my aircraft when they reach around 10-15 years of age (depending on their versatility) — that way it keeps the average fleet age (the important metric) down. There are exceptions, such as the Saab fleet (which I keep around for longer because they're useful and cost-efficient) or niche aircraft like the 757-300, which I know is a low-cost, high margin plane that ceases production. 

Aren't you the "Fruits Rouges" guy?

My main issue with a North American livery contest is that most people already have a North American airline in the gallery. Assuming that you can't post pre-made liveries, you'd have to create your own, which is difficult when most major cities are already the hubs for 2+ pre-existing carriers. You'd end up stepping on a lot of people's toes.

Well, first and foremost, most alliances in the forum are dead. Many (with the exception of DWA, Venture, Unitedwings, and Aloft) have been inactive for quite some time, and have seen little if any meaningful content published on the forums within the past year or so. 

Joining one of these alliances mainly serves a purpose in the Gallery, in which cooperation with an alliance adds both prestige and realism to the brands published there (after all, if you're making fake airlines, you might as well make fake alliances to accompany them). Most also run their own private, member-only alliances in the Realistic worlds, so there's that advantage as well. One of the least-spoken benefits of joining a forum alliance, however, is the community aspect. As "elitist," "preoccupied," and "snobbish" as some perceive alliance members, a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and openness exists, whether that's for help and suggestions or just talking about what's on your mind to a group of like-minded people. 

As to how to create an alliance, I'm not exactly sure. The mods haven't exactly been all too active on this forum, and taking over a dead alliance is just about impossible. If you haven't noticed, joining an alliance isn't much easier. You (mostly) need to establish a presence on the gallery for realistic, appealing brands over time and to get to know a few members before your application is seriously considered. Regardless, it's a process that pays off in the long run.

you should ask oggey

Because of this should I compete in the routes by pushing lower prices or should I just stick with routes that arn't being serviced by the 2 major airlines. 

I'm sure others will have a different strategy, but mine personally would be to do the following, especially in a very crowded world:

Initially, try and avoid competing directly with large carriers. As much as you can try to undercut their prices, they can do the exact same to you, but with one large difference: the large airline can run one or two routes with losses when all others are profitable; you cannot survive when all your routes are unprofitable. Initially, stick with lucrative yet underserved routes — it's common to find that people will sometimes ignore routes with huge demand, which you can exploit. I'd recommend only facing another competitor head-on when you are of a large enough size, so that way one or two loss-making routes because of competitions won't overly impact your bottom line. 

Some would disagree with me. Some would say that direct competition is a good way to serve markets with large amounts of demand when few routes have sufficient demand to warrant flights. Others would argue that not competing at all allows your airline to slip "under the radar" and grow large, then wiping out any competition. Neither is wrong — the key part of Airline Empires is to find a strategy that works for you. And it's not the same in every market or hub on the globe, so know that each world and country work differently. 

Hopefully this helps you. Good luck and enjoy playing!

R0 is in 1979... any sort of replacement for the DC-9 and the end of production aren't for the next few years. Nothing really ends up replacing the DC-9 for a while, so I'd keep replacing old planes with new DC-9's until the time comes. I personally like either upgauging to the B737-300 which keeps the same range, or switching to the BAe 146's for the same capacity with less range. 

If you're talking about Spring Air, then it's 2015.

Seeing as you already have the A330-200 (and it's in a much denser configuration), you'd need something the same size/capacity of the existing model, not an upgrade. In that case, I'd steer you towards the 787-8, which has roughly the same capacity as the 767-300ER.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend you a replacement for the 767-200ER (it's somewhat of a niche aircraft, with no real replacement that has the same range). You can only really go up or down in capacity and range, unfortunately. Closest in physical size going up would be the 787-8, but it would be too much aircraft for some routes. Closest in size going down would be the A321neo, although it would have fewer seats and less range. 

I'm going to try and make a few suggestions, and I'm hoping they're "constructive" enough.

1. The blue: yes, blue and red lettering has won awards (and North Carolina's license plate is pretty great), but there's too much going on. From the waves at the bottom of the fuselage, to the stripes on the tail, to the jagged pattern on the engines, and the odd light blue on the top deck of the 747, it looks cluttered. If you have just one or two of them, it's fine. But having so many things going on at one time makes the eyes strain.

2. The font: Red provides a nice contrast. But, if you're going for a large airline (especially one that operates 747s and is #1 on S1), then you're going to need a different font. Writing "Wright Brothers" (especially with the apostrophe) with that font looks cartoonish and unprofessional. I'd recommend https://www.dafont.com/ and http://www.1001fonts.com/ for a new font: it's free, and you can make sure your text looks good before you download it.

3. All the characters: If I'm counting correctly, I see two airplanes, one man, a Boeing logo, your profile picture, and a bunch of text ("First in Flight," "Five Sins," "747-8i") smattered haphazardly onto the fuselage. If you're going to have the Wright Flyer as your logo, then so be it. But using actual images and then pasting them on isn't going to do it — that's unprofessional and messy. Same goes for everything else you've added — there's certainly a place and size for all of them, but they can't just be cropped images that have been pasted onto the plane. You need some organization in order to improve clarity and visibility. Otherwise, it looks amateur.

You're off and running in the world of template making. But before you keep going, you need to slow down, take some time off from the templates, and then come back to them with fresh eyes to see what needs work (and no, bashing Med's templates does not count as taking time off). Just like Rome wasn't built in a day, neither was the perfect livery. I see some promise in this, it just needs some... improvements.

Not picturing what you're trying to say here, sorry man!

The so-called "dorsal fin" is the extension of the tailfin outwards, found on the 737-300 and later. 

Presently, the dorsal fin has been painted blue. Thus, a blue extension is seen.

Here, the dorsal fin has been left white. As a result, only the main part of the tailfin is painted.

Try changing your livery such that the tail leaves the dorsal fin (mostly) white, with an adapted curve.

It just needs a simple range/payload demand curve. Code exists in other sims...

I think that the main issue with a "simple" fix like that is best described by your response in http://www.airline-e...de-share/page-2. 

 

 

Sorry I can't, I have bills, jobs, startup projects,  a life and adult things to do. 

It's going to be a long while before many things are even added to AE 3/4/whatever considering we all (including Yuxi) have things to do and lives to live. 

8400 feet as per this airliners.net thread (bottom reply).  

That is, however, not how planes work in real life. One of the main issues I've seen with take-off performance is that it doesn't vary like payload does because of range. Rather, it's a fixed value where being over a specific number means you can fly, and being below it means you cannot, even if there are many examples that contradict it.

London Luton is a good example of this, with a 7100-foot runway. Courtline, ATA, ECU Air / Air Ops Europe and others have all flown the L-1011 into Luton at some time. This, however, is possible because the 8400-foot statistic refers to at MTOW, which assumes that the aircraft is completely full of fuel, passengers, and cargo. This, however, is untrue mostly because aircraft flying out of Luton most likely didn't use a full load of fuel (and hence were under MTOW, using less runway). 

The same can be seen at many airports globally, where airports fall short of the 8400-foot line but still had L-1011 service. New York-Laguardia (7000 ft), Maui (7000 ft), Chicago-Midway (6500 ft) and others had some form of L1011 service, although all came with restrictions (LGA had regular service possible because most routes were limited in range, DL flew LAX-OGG as OGG-HNL-LAX on the return to deal with runway length, and MDW could only have occasional L1011 flights from ATA during rare circumstances in which the aircraft didn't fly far). 

Allowing the L-1011-1 into LTN in-game would require a change in how runway length usage is calculated, with factors like weight-and-balance and winds and whatnot taking part in limiting your actual range or payload from airports. 

That's more or less exactly how it works, but you might think of it as though it does it automatically. 

 

When your airline establishes a hub, you can get connecting passengers in flights to and from your hub airport(s).

 

When you join an alliance, you get connecting passengers from their hubs, and vice-versa. 

Not to mention the bonus in reputation you get. If your alliance serves over 600 destinations combined, you'll also get an extra 10% of your reputation, with that percentage amount varying depending on the number of destinations served (hence an alliance serving 300 destinations will have 5% extra reputation). If you're going for an airline with a really high reputation, I'd recommend joining an alliance for reputation purposes as well.

petition to include layer masks because they make nicer lines compared to fuzzy select

"C2" sounds kind of... unnatural. If you try and put it into a situation in which airline names would be used, it seems kind of choppy."

"Thank you for flying C2 Airlines."

"I'm flying C2 to Edmonton."

The name also doesn't fit well with the whole "legacy carrier" effect. It sounds low-cost, and I wouldn't consider flying a "C2" in business class transatlantically if I heard it off of name alone.

Not to mention, a name should have some history behind it. If it's going to be "C2," then the name should at least be derived from something with two C's. I personally still think CAS was a better name... although if you pull something of a JAS (Japan Air System), you might get by with sticking with the name rather than its acronym. "Canadian Air System" is still on the rough + choppy side though.

Introduction

Recent news states that Air Albania, a flag carrier, will be formed by Turkish Airlines and MDN Investment. Considering the awful renderings that have been posted on news websites, Air Albania needs a new, fresh, and modern livery. This challenge is meant to spark imagination and see what the community is able to create. 

In replies below, please include your submissions for a potential livery for Air Albania by 23 June 2018. From there, submissions will be collected and a voting process will begin from 23 June 2018 until 30 June 2018, after which a victor will be announced. Feel free to any supporting materials (be that stationery, branding materials, airport vehicles, etc), but note that submissions must contain a livery. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me via PM here on AE or on the AE Discord. 

Unlike Duncorp's Lufthansa challenge, Air Albania does not hold a specific logo, history, or colour scheme. You are invited to create your own logo and colour scheme, and (if you'd like) to place it within an AE alliance or backstory.

Submission Guidelines

1. Please use an appropriate choice of aircraft for your livery (please, no A380s or Concordes).

2. An effort should be made to include Albanian national symbols and/or colours, even if submissions are not required to include either.

3. All materials used are required to either be original or include credit as to their origin.

4. Your submission should be added on time — late submissions will not be accepted.

5. You are limited to one submission per person, so make your submission count.

6. "Joke" submissions will be rejected immediately; N664US reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason.

7. All submissions should retain the name "Air Albania" and hold a feasible backstory.

Suggested Examples

Albanian Airlines bykeanseeley

Albanian Airlines by Viero

Air Albania byvsauce

The winner will receive both brownie points and a potential prize that is TBD. Best of luck to you all!

The pinned tutorial is from 2011, and has lost relevance. Wsoliman's tutorial is woefully inadequate. Many denounce GIMP as being simple, and complex to use. I present to you my own, complete tutorial on GIMP and its inner workings. Note that this tutorial is based on the macOS operating system.

Step 1. Download

The official website for GIMP is www.gimp.org. From there, you may download and install it onto your computer. Note that GIMP works for Windows, macOS, and Linux (pick your poison). From there, add it to your list of applications and launch it. You should get a blank screen that looks somewhat like this:

Step 2. Add Templates

You guys all know where Med's templates are. As a refresher, they're here. Download them, and then keep them in a safe and organized place so you know where to access them later (and while you're at it, consider helping Med out with a donation or something?). Once you've done that, double-click on the template to add it into GIMP. The .psd should be recognized by GIMP and opened automatically. If it does not, right-click on it and then click "Open With" and then select "GIMP." As an example, I've picked the 737-800. It should look something like this:

Step 3. Layers

A key aspect of GIMP (and most painting programs) is the layering options. Think of them like an onion, in which one layer goes over another. Note that Med has arranged his templates so that the base layer is in white ("FUSELAGE," for example), and all details (ie. "FUSELAGE EFFECTS") go above it. When painting, make sure that your paint goes in a new layer between the base layer and the detail layers. That way, the paint looks accurate. Also know that some templates, like the 737, offer multiple variants. Clicking on the eyeball will make layers visible or invisible: you can make the regular wing invisible and the wingletted wing visible, for example, to change the variant. That looks something like this:

Step 4. Painting

Now is when you can really get to town. I'm going to use a real-life airline for an example, in this case, something simple like Delta. First and foremost, remove all unnecessary layers. In my case, I've removed the eyebrow windows and the metal overlay.

Now, you get to add a new layer. Directly below all the layers are the layer modification tools: the left-most one will add a new layer. Position it where you'd like, and then name it something memorable. Below, I've created a new layer for the fuselage, and called it "FUSELAGE_PAINT."

Here's the fun part. Select a colour with the two swatches of colour on the left-hand side: change the top one to the colour of your choice. In Delta's case, it would be their signature blue colour, which I've added.

But, how do you paint within the lines? The answer: select tools. The left-hand side is full of tools for this purpose. Most are self-explanatory: the rectangle select tool makes rectangles of the size you drag, the ellipse select tool does basically what the rectangle select tool does, but for ellipses, etcetera. Free select lets you either hand-draw what you want or make a custom polygon out of straight lines. My favourite tool, however, is the paths tool, which is arguably the most complicated. Basically, it works like the free select tool, except you can click-and-drag to add curves to your pathways. When you're done, click "selection from path." I've done this below with the Delta 73H's belly paint.

You may ask now: what about the overhang? This is solved with layer masking, which is straightforward when you figure out what it is. This is going to differ from SKY's tutorial, but the principle is roughly the same. Using the base layer ("FUSELAGE," in this case), go to Layer > Mask > Add Layer Mask > Layer's Alpha Channel. On the paint layer, use the rectangle select tool to crop the layer to be the same size as the fuselage's (Layer > Crop to Selection). From there, repeat what you just did with the base layer, adding a layer mask to the paint too. Both layers should now have a layer mask on them. All you have to do now is hit Cmd-C on the fuselage's layer mask, and Cmd-Z it to the paint's. From there, hit the anchor below the list of layers to adhere the new layer mask. Voilà, conforming paint. 

All you really need to do is keep doing this for all the other layers (tail, engines, etc.) until you get a plane that resembles your aircraft. You can also use other tools to add touches you want (ie. the text tool for registrations or aircraft titles), or use File > Open as Layers in order to add logos or whatnot to your livery. 

Step 5. Finishing Touches

In order to add realism, consider adding details to make your livery realistic. You can do this by blocking windows, changing door outline colours, etc. in order to get an aircraft that looks like it could work in the real world. I've finished the Delta 737-800 below, complete with registration. 

Step 6. Exporting

To export a GIMP image, just use Cmd-E and hit enter. It'll create an exported .png image directly next to the .xcf file in which you've saved the image. From there, all you need to do is upload it and add it here.

And voilà! You have successfully created a livery! Most stuff on GIMP is relatively straightforward, but if you need any help (gradients, colour exchange, etc.), feel free to ask me. I highly recommend trying to replicate a real-world livery, getting to know how to use GIMP successfully before you go on to try to make your own unique livery. 

New GIMP sucks, to be honest.
2.8 is way simpler to get around for me and it’s much easier on my eyes.