I recently saw an opportunity in DBX on Xiguan and started a new airline. I count myself as an experienced player and only have a small fleet of 8 while Link Airways gets started.
I noticed nobody flies the LHR < > DBX route so put a 737-900HGW on it. This is top of the ORS with a rating of 5, yet economy is only 40% full.
I know for longer haul there needs to be feeders, however LHR < > DBX is one of the busiest air route in the world. This feels a little odd I cant even fill a 737 when I am the only one operating it, at the top of the ORS. Any thoughts?
Yes, that’s how the ORS works. There’s likely a thousand connections between DXB and LHR. But even though you get the largest piece of the cake (top of the ORS), there’s hundred others getting a piece too.
But does it not strike you as a bit weird this is the ONLY direct flight between the 2, which is one of the busiest air routes in the world? It is top of the ORS by a long way and it still cant fill 105 economy seats?
Very familiar with ORS etc, used to have some big airlines but I would expect the ONLY direct flight between 2 of the worlds biggest airports to manage to fill 105 seats…
Is the huge traffic between LHR and DXB only between these 2 airports (O/D) or is it a lot of connecting one?
From my experience in the game the domestic demand is the real one and the international one only works with connections…
ORS isn’t filling up flights best first and then down to worst rated, its distributing bookings among all positive (possible) entries. So how many connections does the ORS show?
“Is the huge traffic between LHR and DXB only between these 2 airports (O/D) or is it a lot of connecting one?”
In reality (Which is what this game is meant to be modelled on) there is a huge amount of direct and transfer traffic between DXB < > LHR. I fly it often and there are many full A380’s every day.
In the game? It seems there is almost no direct traffic between the 2 despite is being one of the busiest air routes in the world.
While I am not arguing the way the ORS works here, it is also clear the ORS does not in any way reflect the real world on this route. 105 seats on the busiest air route in the world (or one of the busiest depending how measured) would easily fill up, PAX would not go via Frankfurt or other locations as they are in AS when a better &cheaper (according to ORS) direct flight is available. Yet i cant fill up a 737 and this is literally the only daily flight on this route…
It doesn’t feel right if this game is meant to model in some level the real world.
I have had airlines of 1000+ aircraft before and know PAX do eventually arrive with transfers etc, but would be good for some level of reality here…
You’ve discovered the weakest point in this game: demand distribution. Airlines with 1000+ airframes generate enough connections (=ORS entries per seat) so they fill up no matter what.
A newbee airline just doesn’t get enough entries per seat to make a profitable number of bookings - and this gets worse the more alternative via connections there are. It’s all about math I’m afraid.
Its a shame, I have been playing since 2012 but have never actually started an airline in one of the worlds “mega airports” in which many of the main routes are empty. I assume I joined this server just when a previous airline in DXB ceased to exist which is a stroke of luck for me.
Only now since seeing this has made me realize how unrealistic it is!