Hi, I’ve been following the evolution of AirlineSim for some time now.
At some point the idea of booking classes was considered by the team. However, the implementation of such an idea seems to be indefinitely delayed, because it would need an overhaul of the whole system, and it would be very resource-consuming in terms of processing.
That said, as I was adjusting my flight-prices, I was mildly frustrated that I could not take advantage of the PAX making a nonstop trip without adversely affecting connecting passengers. Maybe a future development would allow pricing differently between connecting and direct PAX, without needing complicated fare classes (that would be super-interesting, but let’s face it, would need full-time commitment to the game). That is: two fare categories for each class.
In a second phase, this would allow deeper implication of interlining and alliances: one could choose to make the connecting fare accessible to flights with another airline operated segment.
What do you think of this pricing simulation idea, that would be “just” one step ahead of what it is now?
It’s a great idea, similar to booking codes in real life. However, I think most players agree that the ORS and booking are the last thing that needs revamping, as there are other things (cough aircraft performance tool cough) that should be fixed and other new and “easier” features made before another overhaul to the ORS, which has been done 2x already.
The idea is to NOT revamp the ORS which is perfectly working as it is. On the contrary the goal is to make one adjustement to make it more realistic.
My point is : the ORS stays exactly the same
The ORS rating is calculated according to several items, including price and total journey time
Currently, connecting flights are always more expensive ingame, while IRL it’s more the contrary : lower prices, longer journey. Yet some people (including me) are still taking connecting flights when there is a direct flight available, mainly for cost issues.
In game, because of the high price of connecting flights, this never happens.
However it is often said: AirlineSim is about connections.
To make this statement true, one feature to add would be for example: connecting flight on each segment is X% the price of the same flight without connection. Say you choose 75 or 80%, there would be connecting flight with a better ORS rating than direct flights thanks to lower prices and passengers would be booked on these flights.
I’d disagree all the way as the ORS, or better: demand distribution is THE major issue. And that is the reason why point to point is barely possible in game when there’s just enough 1-stop connections in the ORS.
What exactly should be fixed with the aircraft performance tool? After all that just a convenience tool that reads out aircraft database entries with the according formulas.
I don’t understand very well why point to point doesn’t work very well in game (I’ve tried) while the ORS rating of connecting flights is so poor. Anyway, this blog post Demand in AirlineSim is very interesting concerning the paths towards a more realistic demand distribution.
I kinda agree with the aircraft performance tool, there are so many parameters that such a tool is bound to remain unreliable. I use it for fuel consumption comparison and that’s it, and I don’t expect much more. In the end it’s always a trial and error strategy that pays.