Need Help

[Linda73160]

I am new to this game and have tried twice to start an airline and failed.  At first I used Detroit as my home base and ran larger planes (100-200) seats.  This time I am based out of Chicago Midway and using smaller planes.  Both times my routes are making money and my occupancy is in the green or yellow.  What am I doing wrong?  I can't seem to get my occupancy better but every city already has so many established airlines.  Even though my routes are making money I am losing it every month.  Any ideas?  I am in the Beginners #12.

[sanderrr111]

I can't see what you did exactly so i don't know what you've been doing wrong, but a few tips:

Fleet commonality, of course, starting with just a320's or 737's should be fine.

Dont expect to have high load factors right away and don't lower your price too much, run a (small) general marketing campain.

And if you're looking for empty airports, try china! It's really ridiculous how many large emty airports there are! For instance, beijing - shaghai, 5500 passengers/day, and nobody flies it!

Good luck!

[icycold]

Well Nice to meet you Linda73160 one of your main problems is that you flying  737-400 (also known as 734's) and DHC (Dash 8's) when you have far less than 5 planes, fleet commonality hurts alot until you can fly international , as well watch out for engine commonality if you can

as well from watching the Used Market the 734 is an pretty unreliable model to use first, as i've seen days (like today) when there's 20 on the Used for 10% above value and days when theres only 1 on the market for double the price

hope you enjoy this game and feel free to ask more questions as you grow your airlines

and to Sanderr me thinks BEI-SHA is over supplied at the current moment
CEO Icy Trade Winds

[sanderrr111]

PEK - SHA still has 4500+ daily people waiting for a flight

[sergio]

Linda / Sergei

As per my experience of "doing wrong": I failed in games if I joined them closer to end: the good routes are already taken by big sharks ))).

Better: try the next beginner world, choose number 10 or worse airport, cause number 1 will defenately be taken by croud of new guys, and then fly the number 10 or worse airport. You will be alone there!!

Also, for really bug start - choose 2 close aiports with high passenger demand. High  - I mean 5000 people per day ag least. I fly some routes, where Passenger demand for Business class alone is 1400-1800 people per day, that is several pure Business class boeings 747! this will sky rocket your income. Remember - the world is not limited to America, Europe. some routes between Chinese cities are huge. And china is not limited just to Beijing, shanghai and qingdao! do search the new routes!

As to small airplane: Actually i tried Hong-kong - Taiwan with Fokkers, ATRs, but failed, so I bancrupted once againe and took one big airbus.

one more tip: even if you are the first one in a minor airport - a crowd of new people may come, and sqeeze you out.. about a week into game try to Open New routes, find some big demand routes with no people in it. the world is big enough for 300 palyers. yes, it takes time to search. and you may find it out only when you are in the game! so you initial choise of base airport - is not so important actually.

A tip - in beginners world 12, route beijing - shanghai has got one competitor only, aaand, when you grow up a little bit - you have no competitors on Beijing - dubai route at all! and demand 5000 people per day! meanwhile in some usa airport competiion was 200% of what the demand is.

Fleet commonality: i have got 62 Boeing 747-100 and SP, which is one family - maintenece and training 24 million dollars. i had just one McDonnel douglas - it cast me 1 million per months. So choose - either you make friends with boeing, airbus, or mc donnel douglas.
Also, when I repaired aircraft from 72% to 100% - it could take upto 2 million and 20 days. when i have got many airplanes of same type - such repair takes 4 days and abt 1/3 of a million. its like - if i repair volkswagen passats only, built before 97, then i have got very many used parts for 20 euro, except for engine. (you may ask me, i had one )))) ) and as it is same car - i repair it fast. and when i have got different cars to repair - than i must buy details from shop, and think much of each repair. understand?

engine commonality - just forget it. My figures for Maintanace and othe: Rolls-Royce - 74 engines, 1 million per month; General Electric - 116 engines - 1,4 millin $  per moth, CFM - 4 engines - 100 000$ per momnth; Brad and Whitney - 38 engines of 1 type - 380 000$, 118 eningens of another type - 1,5 million dollars per month.
Generally - Pitt and Houston - are the cheapest, roll roys - expencive - the same as their cars. but it doens really matter when you have 20+ planes!

[sergio]

And dont make foolish thoings - if everything is working - dont chage anything.

Actually now i experience a fall in "Transported passengers" digit.

aand, cant figure out, which exactly influenced this: my 5% rising of ticket prices, switching off world marketing, or an evelaunch of C checks, of which i had last month 40, and coming this month 20. ))))

the bad things usually ALWAYS DO happen at the same time. Col. Kaddafi and Japan know it better than me, actually.

[sergio]

I am new to this game and have tried twice to start an airline and failed.  At first I used Detroit as my home base and ran larger planes (100-200) seats.  This time I am based out of Chicago Midway and using smaller planes.  Both times my routes are making money and my occupancy is in the green or yellow.  What am I doing wrong?  I can't seem to get my occupancy better but every city already has so many established airlines.  Even though my routes are making money I am losing it every month.  Any ideas?  I am in the Beginners #12.

And, Linda, it's difficult just to start. grow until 20 planes - then it goes really %%ing easy!!!
And you will get much pleasure, from your competitors getting buncrupt, after some time.

[icycold]

Dont tell me the Big guy in PEK bankrupted himself already?, i didnt see that on my News, though theres a spike  in Large Airline Bankcruptcies recently i.e LAX , HND and Stockholm

[sanderrr111]

yes he did...

And with him, whole epic sky collapsed