Slot System and Small Markets?

[CLR2LND7L]

Im not sure if this has already been discussed, but I am having some issues with the price structure included in the new slot system. 

I am attempting to build a diverse route structure connecting small markets and large, but it has becoming increasingly difficult to justify.  Recently i have paid $138,000 for a single slot in ATL to operate a F-27 to a sub 100 demand market. 

Is there any way to make these charges reflect the route to operated, ie first flight to a market = no fee, small market = reduced price, ect.

Any thoughts?

[Sigma]

You do get cheap slots until you are up to 14 flights/week.  You don't get a reduced price for a small market because a slot is a slot; you only get to land X number of planes per day whether they're F70 or A380s.  That's the entire point of using dense aircraft on slot-tight airports.  However you do get discounts, sometimes very significant ones, at lightly-used airports as an incentive to drive supply to those airports that need service; in-game this is called the "Non-Crowded Discount"

The problem you're having, is that you're out of ATL and you're always going to pay a lot to fly out of your home airport.  You control a lot of slots there and it's a crowded airport.  The airport authority isn't going to give you a cheap slot just because you happen to be flying a small plane to some little location.  They'd much rather that slot go to someone flying a 767 to Newark or something, as that's a lot more money in their pockets in pax fees.

When creating a flight, and it gives you the slot cost, put your mouse over the "i" that is displayed on the right side.  It will outline any costs as well as any discounts you may be receiving.

For example, if I setup a flight between DFW and ATL, it costs me $500,000 at DFW and $250,000 at ATL.  If I fly at off-peak times it goes down to about $150,000 on each end.

DFW-IAH, still a fairly large airport, the slot at DFW is still $500,000, but IAH is only $125,000 because I still don't fly to it often and get a "New Operation" discount.  Similarly-sized Phoenix though charges me $200,000 because I already fly there often.

Now, if I fly to little ol' Baton Rouge (BTR), it still costs me the $500,000 at DFW but the slot at BTR is a mere $500 -- 1/1000th of the cost.

Besides, a well-utilized F70 can handily pull in north of $400,000 in gross profit every single week.  I can pull in north of $750K/week with a small F100.  You'll make up that $100,000 route setup fee in days.  Or about a mere 1 hour in real-time.  Route fees in the game are still WAY too small.