Short answers, each linking to the article that explains the thing properly.
Before you start#
Is it free?#
Free during beta. Paid game time is planned eventually, and the rule that will hold when it arrives is that nothing purchasable will ever confer competitive advantage.
Do I need to download anything?#
No. It runs in a browser. There is no launcher and no install.
Am I playing against real people or against the computer?#
Both. Human players share every world with AI carriers running five business models. The AI issues the same commands you do, borrows on the same terms, and goes bankrupt through the same process. It cannot see anything you cannot see. See AI carriers.
What happens while I am logged off?#
The world keeps running. Your aircraft fly the schedule you gave them, rivals keep acting, and the market moves. A schedule you leave broken stays broken.
How long does a world last?#
Each world runs a posted season, printed on its tile from the first day. Some run open ended. See World config basics.
What happens when a world ends?#
It is sealed and published permanently: final standings and every carrier's record, readable afterwards by any signed-in account. Nothing is wiped.
Your first airline#
Where should I put my home base?#
Somewhere with enough demand to fill your first aircraft and not so much competition that you cannot price. The base decides which markets are in reach and is expensive to change later. See Founding an airline.
What aircraft should I start with?#
Something that comfortably covers your intended sectors rather than the largest thing you can afford. See Choosing an aircraft.
Why is my new aircraft parked somewhere else?#
Leased and bought aircraft are handed over where they currently stand, not at your base. Getting one home is a positioning flight you arrange yourself. See Leasing, buying & ordering.
Why will my flight not schedule?#
Because one of the operational gates refused it: the aircraft cannot physically be there in time, the turnaround is too short, the airport has no slot free, or the arrival lands in a night curfew. The refusal names the gate. See Scheduling gates and Slots & curfews.
How many aircraft do I need for a daily route?#
It depends on the round-trip block time plus turnarounds against the hours in a day. A short sector can be flown several times a day by one aircraft; a long one may need more than one aircraft to sustain a daily departure. See Scheduling gates.
Money and passengers#
My load factor is high but I am losing money. Why?#
Load factor is the share of seats sold, not the money they sold for. A full cabin at a fare below what the flight costs to operate loses money on every seat. Read loads against revenue, not on their own. See Inventory & load monitoring.
My load factor is low even though my fares are cheap. Why?#
Price is one of several things passengers weigh. Journey time, transfers, departure timing, comfort, service and your airline's reputation all count, and every passenger can also choose ground transport or simply not travelling. Cheap and inconvenient loses to not going. See How booking works.
Why did revenue not arrive when I opened the route?#
Flights fill as departure approaches, so a new route spends its first weeks building a booking curve. Costs start immediately. This gap is the single most common way new airlines run out of cash.
Should I lease or buy?#
Leasing conserves cash and keeps you flexible; buying costs more up front and avoids rent. Both carry maintenance. See Leasing, buying & ordering and Lease obligations.
What happens if I go bankrupt?#
If cash stays negative past the world's grace period, liquidation runs automatically and your aircraft return to the market, sometimes through an estate auction. See Bankruptcy & estates.
The world around you#
Why can I not see how much demand a route has?#
Demand is fogged: you see what you have earned the right to see. Aircraft records are the deliberate exception and are never hidden. See Market analysis under fog.
Can I fly anywhere I like?#
No. Route legality is gated by the world's regulatory settings, and congested airports need slots. See Slots & curfews.
Can I work with other airlines?#
Yes: interlining, codeshares, joint ventures and alliances all exist. See Interlining and Joint ventures & alliances.
A wiki page says one thing and my world does another. Which is right?#
Your world. Most numbers here are defaults and worlds are configured individually. World → Configuration prints your world's live ruleset, and that screen is the authority.