Planes

[LeoDario]

What would you say would be the best plane for  a starting airline

[Sigma]

The biggest plane you can afford.

That's not Russian (they tend to suck gas).  Unless you're in an era where fuel is dirt cheap.

That's not ancient (they cost more to maintain).  Stick to 10-15 years old.

That's not too big for your routes.  Does no good to have a huge plane and only 'thin' routes.

That doesn't need a C/D-check anytime soon (shoot for more than 9-months from a C and 3yrs from a D)

For most people, this is usually a narrow-body or two.  Something like a 737 or A320.  These, in the 'real' worlds (outside of the "Beginner" ones) tend to be difficult to get.   I would personally suggest trying something else a bit different, as that's more likely what you'll get outside of the BW games.

It may be a wide-body.  You might be able to nab an old A300 or something for cheap.  Make sure you have the routes to use such a plane.  And not just one or two.  You want to maintain good commonality, so don't buy a plane that you can really only use a few of.  That's why the narrow-bodies are preferable -- you've always got LOTS of routes you can run them on.  And even on the big, thick routes, they get you added flight frequency which is a big (about the only in AWS) competitive advantage.