Anyone thinks have a spare aircraft or two is worth the cost? I only just ask now because i have 4 planes coming up for D check and I dont want to stop flying that many planes. I might just replace them with newer planes.
When I only had a few planes I usually ordered a spare or two when the C checks came up. I would transfer the routes to the new plane, run the check, and then transfer back when completed. Then I would use the spare for another transfer, or bring it in to service.
It's not a bad plan as you keep your routes intact, denying competitors from building a base on that route. You also build your airline slowly, basically expanding whenever maintenance comes up.
Now with over 50 planes and hundreds of routes my monetary gains are in teh millions every week, so maintenance isn't a problem.