How much more does it cost to increase your fleet?

[tofen]

For example, if I'm running 4-5 B737s and finds 4-5 MD80s or A320s on the used market in good condition and price. Can I then count on my expenses being roughly doubled? Or will it raise even higher?

I have got the feeling that if you double up on amount of planes, amount of routes or amount of planetypes, the cost does always more than double? Is it supposed to be like that?
I thought that normally the costs of adding something (in the same class/size) should be somewhat less, or atlease the same to what you already have.

Eg. For your first plane you might require 4 pilots, but if you are adding the same plane in a fleet that already has 20 of the same type, you might only need 2 new pilots since you should be able to schedule all of your pilots more effectively, thus covering up the slack.

Also, if you add another plane type in your fleet, is it only the "fleet commonality" costs that increases? Or will your staff/plane ratio also be higher?

(I don't want to sit around, waiting for the exact right plane type to appear on the market, when I now that I can make money with another type if the costs is just double to what I have now )

[ollik]

If you add a totally another a/c type to your fleet, you won't benefit from your previous functions much at all. A pilot is almost always flying only one type at a time, and cabin crew flys a couple of types. Also an airbus and a boeing plane won't use the same parts to maintenance costs rise too.

[tofen]

If you add a totally another a/c type to your fleet, you won't benefit from your previous functions much at all. A pilot is almost always flying only one type at a time, and cabin crew flys a couple of types. Also an airbus and a boeing plane won't use the same parts to maintenance costs rise too.

Indeed. But a customer service agent should be able to handle both types. And my financial department should be able to calculate the profits for both types.

So should I count on having roughly the double costs when having one MD and one 737 then if I only had one of the planes? And if I have two 737s instead of one, the costs should be slightly less than double?

[Talentz]

Yes, your costs will always increase when you add more aircraft. How much cost it adds depends on your fleet commonality.

Having multiple aircraft types increase fleet common costs by a factor.

I cant tell you how much per aircraft, as i dont even think sami knows 


However, you can expect that single fleets to double in cost.

So lets do some guess work:

5 737s = 250k month fleet common. Base rate of 45k per aircraft +5k for each added.

You add 5 MD 80s.

5 MD 80s = 350k a month base rate. 70k per aircraft + fleet (un)common charges of 10k = 400k

737s get an increase from 5k to 15k per aircraft (fleet (un) common charges) so that adds 50k bring the total to 300k

So now your new fleet common charges = 700k for 10 aircraft. 5 737s and 5 MD 80s.


You can expect something like this to happen. If you have only 2 aircraft types.

Now, if you went with 10 737s.  Your fleet common costs would be somewhere north of 500k.

Note: Once you get past 10 aircraft in a single fleet, you get a sort of discount. So if the base rate per aircraft for 737 is 45k. Then the 10th aircraft will drop the base rate to something like 35k per plane.


Fleet common can be confusing at times. The best advice is to stick to a few fleet types and make sure you have alot of those aircrafts to get better fleet common rates.

Dont worry too much about about getting your hands on any aircraft thats on the market. The airlines who do that will have it come back in there face, 1-2 years from now when the game matures and the demand is all taken.

I've seen it in beta 2 and 3 many times. The term is actually called "over rapid expansion".


-Talentz

[tofen]

Thanks a lot for taking the time Talentz.

So if you can make like 2 million a month from 5 planes of the same type, then those 200K it will cost you extra for not having commonality with your other 5 planes wont really matter that much. Making 4M or 3,8M a month doesn't really matter, both are better than the 2M you would earn if sticking to just your 5 common planes if you can't get hold of more of that type.

[Talentz]

Correct. More aircraft, more money.

As long as theres demand for those aircraft. Remember that Fleet common increases everytime any 1 aircraft is added. So if you have 5 737s and 5 MD-80s adding 1 more 737 increases not only your 737 fleet common costs.. but the MDs as well


The term "over rapid expansion" can have a couple of meanings. Death by fleet commonality costs or Death by spending your cash before C checks are due. (thus, going BK cause cant pay for C checks)


Right now, since the game is still young, demand hasnt been met. So players tend to be greedy in a way.. They add aircraft like nothing. Sense theres alot of demand, they can fill that aircraft and make enough money to stay "ahead" of rising fleet common costs.

However, once the world matures and more players add planes and demand that was there 6months ago is now filled.. Your aircraft have a tougher time turning a high profit margin. But guess what, fleet common costs wont have any problems raping you. Therefor, airlines with a lot of fleet types tend to go belly up once demand is filled because there aircraft *require* a higher profit margin to remain profitable (b/c of fleet common costs)

So, its more like planing for the future. Right now, were at the "need next aircraft right now stage". In about a year or so, will be at "need to operate my airline more efficiently stage". It will greatly help when fleet common costs are working with you.. and not against you 


-Talentz

[Dazwalsh]

correct Talentz, wonderful explaination there

a question, say you have 25 Boeing 737-300's in a fleet, the 737-700 then gets released and you add 25 of them, does this destroy your comonality or does it not affect it because its a 737 family aircraft?

[Jps]

correct Talentz, wonderful explaination there

a question, say you have 25 Boeing 737-300's in a fleet, the 737-700 then gets released and you add 25 of them, does this destroy your comonality or does it not affect it because its a 737 family aircraft?

In that case, I'd say it's more important to have the engines as close to each other as possible, rather than have all the same variant.

[Talentz]

correct Talentz, wonderful explaination there

a question, say you have 25 Boeing 737-300's in a fleet, the 737-700 then gets released and you add 25 of them, does this destroy your comonality or does it not affect it because its a 737 family aircraft?

In that case, I'd say it's more important to have the engines as close to each other as possible, rather than have all the same variant.

The 737 3/4/5 are in a different group bracket then 737- 6/7/8/9  ect.   So it will be a mild increase. However, it wont be as "noticeable" as say, adding 25 A319s.

Also, Jps is right. I think they use the same engine family. CFM 56 xxxxxxxx ect. So there shouldnt be a problem there.


Talentz