Airline management game

Pick your kind of airline

Low-cost, regional, legacy, long-haul and cargo airlines all compete in different markets, and any of them can win. Growth is limited by money, not by caps or clicking, so the questions are the ones a real airline faces:

• Where to fly. Every city sends travellers to every other, by its airports' traffic and its people's numbers and wealth. Research reports show travellers by kind and how each airline in a market scores.
• What to fly it with. The real types of the world's era, each with its range, runway needs, fuel burn, crew and price. Ordering new takes months; used aircraft come within days, and leasing costs a deposit instead of the price.
• What to charge. Business, leisure and price-first travellers weigh fare, frequency, journey time, comfort, service and reputation differently. A low fare wins only the price-first part of a market.
• How to keep it running. Timetables, crews by base and aircraft family, maintenance checks, gates and slots at busy airports, punctuality and the compensation you pay when it goes wrong.

Flooding a market does not buy it

Seats beyond demand fly empty, and an incumbent with a good reputation keeps much of its share against a cheaper newcomer. The airline that floods a market pays for every empty seat. Winning means finding markets others serve badly, timing departures that connect, and carrying passengers across your network.

The money side

Decision	How it works
Borrowing	Banks lend more as your credit rating improves. The rating is reviewed every game month from your figures.
Leasing	The game's lessors differ in rent, deposit, terms and the rating they ask; players' leasing companies can undercut them.
Fuel	Buy at each airport's price, hedge a share of it, or commit to a supply contract for a discount.
Staff	Pilots, cabin crew, mechanics and ground staff are hired at a pace; unions claim raises and can strike.
Shares	Sell shares to outside investors, list the company, pay dividends and buy back stock.
Control	Shareholders elect the CEO of a listed airline, and a player who buys a majority takes control.

Against other players

Every airline in a world flies for the same travellers. Rankings measure market value, revenue, profit, margin, growth, reputation, punctuality and fleet, by size class too, so a small airline run well can win a category. The world's news reports new routes, orders, listings, takeovers and failures, and alliances let airlines feed each other's networks. When a season ends, every company you ran goes into the career record on your profile.

Free, in the browser, at your pace

The game is free and nothing paid helps you win. It runs in any modern browser, on a computer or a phone. Each world sets its own era and pace, and an established airline keeps flying between visits. For the simulation itself, see airline simulator online.

Where to start

1. Create a free account.
2. Choose a world on Worlds that is open to new airlines.
3. Follow the five-part walkthrough, or read the guide to competition.