I'm wondering if I should be able to select the inividual features of the IFE as the dialog box does not seem to display check boxes.

Yeah, that one. I guess I was looking to turn on wifi and audio independent of the number of TV screens per seat.

Okay, Hi I'm Don. I have been looking for an airline simulation for a long time since I gave up making my own. I think this is very close to what I had envisioned. I grew up working for a small commuter and, I guess, I enjoy the numbers that can be generated. I very much enjoye my time with the little airline but this was back at deregulation time and my employer was absorbed into the industry that didn't seem as much fun as the little airline, do everything, situation I was in. Everything from checking in irate Pax to pulling planes (Beech B99's) from the hangar. 

As I understand it, This game is meant to be played to achieve the number one ranking by competing against the programming but not necessarily competing as airline against airline in a particular market.

Perhaps you can explain how certain things can happen.

I noticed one player who doubled the default pricing on his uncontested routes and simply enjoyed twice the revenue. When I try setting the price slightly over default I see a dropoff in pax. Is this a trick or just maybe route specific where one can make this adjustment?

Also. I seem afffected by another player joining a route but without F class flights so his price is set at $1. He has no seats to steal my pax but I'd hate to fly 2000 miles knowing I paid $300 when I ould have paid $1. No IFS seems to make it better.

I notice to if you add flights without 3 classes the prices for the unused classes will be set to $1. Makes a little sense since there are no seats but I'm not sure if the program looks at $1 vs $1,249 for a 1st class seat as a good deal when dividing the available traffic betwwen the airlines.

When I try to match his $1 price it seems the program reacts as if it's odd to charge $1 for for class yet 100's of dollar for coach and the equation lower price= more pax isn't necesssarily true.

I think there are statistics for average time it takes to unload 220 people and reload another 220 people. We had turn times of about 1 minute on our Beech 99's if I could squeeze everyone out the door.  Often times the FO would just shut down the port engine and the turnaround was a few seconds.

I don't understand how an airline with a poorer route reputation gets a higher percentage of pax for the same price simply by adding flights to a serviced route. I'm not sure if aircraft types are considered by the pax, as I know certain ones are preferred by some but most have no preference until rhey hear of major problems. 

I would like to encourage competition on routes since, IRL, at most airports you will see takeoffs by a variety of companies.

I'm not sure how the passenger demand is accounted for. It seems in market share there are many more flyers than the demand would indicate. For example demand might be 2828 but airline A is enplaning 2114 and airline B is enplaning 2039. Traffic is 4153 enplaned on a demand of 2828. Is this extra demand created by Airline B and his alliance?

I ask because it seems to me 2828 daily demand is enough to support at least 2 airlines but it's not clear which demand I should try to split. if I have 1414 seats as a reputable airline I should be covering my share of the demand. Is the actual demand the sum total of pax carried or are all the pax above demand connecting pax and always there for the airline in an alliance?

I'm wondering, too, if someone can explain what it takes to be able to fill a plane with pricing double the default on uncontested routes. This seems an advantage. Certainly if revenue is where it all comes from having twice the revenue as the competition has to be. I've tried doubling the suggested price but usually only fill 1/4 capacity. with a positive DOP still but too empty.

Thanks. I don't understand I guess. That sounds like the demand I see listed means that many pax would fly my airline if I had seats available but for another airline some may not feel the same so his demand would be different. I was thinking, I guess, demand is the total number of pax that want to go from point A to Point B. Uncontested, I should be able to match seats with demand and build a reputation for getting them point A to point B. I should be able to set fares to profitable for me and satisfactory to the pax. I assume some pax only make their travel if the price is right while some have no choice but to pay the full fare. I should see the market share chart totally the demand, no?

I think what I'm asking is if another airline decides to over supply the route do they bring their own passenger revenue, too or are they just expecting to depart with these seats empty until the market decides they are the better airline and pax shift from the first to the second?  Or does the first airline just have a chance at a bigger pie brought by the second?

By demand displayed you mean the blue demand bar? On an uncontested route, Matching seats to demand should be full planes with the default ticket pricing. I could supply half the demand and try to get the price up for those who just have to go but have no seat but I haven't found doubling the price  to work as consistently as other airlines I've noted.

Do you also know the mechanics of making doubled pricing work? I've noticed an airline with double pricing on every route I checked. Entering those markets I only get LF of 25% or so and don't get the advantage of gouging the fare.

I only ask for fairness sake. 

I understand picing ashould not  increase demand although I might take a trip ?I wouldn't have it the price is $5. That would leave enough for a cocktail at the destination bar.

As an example I'm not really understanding, I am in a market with Demand of 1064. There is one competitor. I have 143 seats filled at the average price. Market share shows competitor has 1327 of his 4207 seats filled. Since his load is already more then the demand I probably can't take advantage of my 100% load and add a flight but I'm not sure if I'd be trying for a share of the 1064 or not.  

I think the only reason to base aircraft would be for maintenance. It's inefficient to have a maintenance base at every destination and each plane has to spend time in the hangar. There is also hangaring. Planes parked overnight on the tarmac are subject to weather damage and hangar space for some of your larger vehicles is . Perhaps, with a terminal, a maintenance hangar is built.

Perhaps maintenance could even be farmed out to reputable firms.

One thing I'd like not to see is the ability to schedule 223x weekly flights on a two hour route. Departing every half hour on a two hour flight seems to lead to conjestion on one end or the other.  

My tip(s) is(are)..

When opening a route, only fill half the demand and double your ticket prices. I'm not sure when you have to lower the price when you add more flights but you should get double revenue on the route for a time. Of course, a route making double a normal route may attract competition.

 Use the airport detail page to see routes under-served or overpriced. 

Hello everyone,

 

I just started to play, It's not my first (airline game) but I still have limited experience.

 

I was wondering if the best starting plan was to borrow as much as possible and spam the world with all the planes you can buy ?

 

It seems that it's what everybody is doing, so it must be the best strategy isn't it ?

 

Thanks for your advice

I'm not sure borrowing as much as possible is a good idea. My airline seems to lose all it's cash plus a little right before the bonds are due for payment. My cash is quickly rebuilt after the default notice but whatever it is it all and more disappears right before the payment.

It is a supply and demand calculation. If more demand than supply, the higher price works. Of course, since a flight cost is set, filling a flight is the most profit. spending less flights on a higher price would be the most profitable. I think keeping the supply an amount less than demand, eliminating the cost to supply, gives a higher profit margin but idle aircraft are an expense, too.

Have lived,IRL, delays from not having a replacement aircraft out base to expecting a replacement aircraft. Good for me it wasn't a business trip

I have lived in real life pulling a plane from the hangar so we could get that extra 15 PAX when North Central  couldn't land at the airport. It was kind of fun calming the upset pax who just had to get to Chicago that morning.

Issuing a bond is getting money from investors. I guess, though,  a pool of investors with no say in your operation.

This seems a good idea for a financial simulation but an added dimension to airline simulation I don't think adds to playability. 

Issuing a bond is getting money from investors. I guess, though,  a pool of investors with no say in your operation.

This seems a good idea for a financial simulation but an added dimension to airline simulation I don't think adds to playability. 

On the aircraft details page there is a sell button. There is a buyer under that button. 

It's a little annoying when a competing airline lowers his price even when he has 100% load factor for some reason. He can't carry more so why lower the price?  Does that keep some pax from using my price and my seat? Does offering a lower price for a non-existent seat affect the overall?

Did it go bust because you kept lowering price on non-existent seats? You wil make no extra revenue just lowering prices but not having seats.

I've been playing for awhile and, having worked for an airline, etc. I much like the simulation of airline management.

Does anyone know if the role of the AI players is to keep you from reaching the top ranking or are they also building an airline to show in the rankings? They seem to make some moves simply meant to reduce the price on routes.

Does the price on routes have anything to do with ranking? I assume ranking is related to money earned somehow.  

Oh, yeah. That's the process, I guess. I understand the AI is programmed to prevent players from making the rankings.

That would be the most logical indication of valuation, I think. So when an AI player enters a market, you should leave the market for greater profits? I'm just trying to understand the gameplay. I believe when the competition adds 4471 seats to a daily demand of 1000 he's not going strictly for the most profitable play. Should I simply assume that market is filled four times  over and withdraw if I want the most profits?