WIKI

AMS.ceo supports two ways to create an account:

Option 1: VATSIM SSO (Recommended)

1. Click "Sign In with VATSIM SSO" on the login page
2. You'll be redirected to the VATSIM authentication page
3. Log in with your VATSIM credentials
4. Authorise AMS.ceo to access your VATSIM profile
5. You'll be automatically redirected back and logged in

Option 2: Local Registration

1. Click the "Register" tab on the login page
2. Enter your first name, last name, email, and a password (minimum 6 characters)
3. Solve the math captcha to verify you're human
4. Click "Create Account"

After logging in, you'll be taken to the World Selection screen. Worlds are separate game instances with their own economies, timelines, and players.

World Types

• Multiplayer: Compete with other real players and AI airlines. Public worlds anyone can join.
• Singleplayer: Your own private world with AI competitors at adjustable difficulty levels.

How to Join

1. Browse available worlds on the World Selection screen
2. Check the world details: era start year, time acceleration, number of players
3. Click "Join World" on the world you want to play
4. Set up your airline (see next article)

Era System

Each world starts in a specific year (from 1950 onwards). The starting year determines which aircraft are available, airport accessibility, and economic conditions. Time accelerates (typically 60x) so 1 real minute = 1 game hour.

When you join a world for the first time, you'll need to set up your airline:

1. Airline Name: Choose a unique name for your airline
2. ICAO Code: A 3-letter code (e.g. "BAW" for British Airways)
3. IATA Code: A 2-letter code (e.g. "BA")
4. Region: Select your operating region
5. Hub Airport: Choose your main base of operations — this is where your airline HQ is located

Your airline starts with $1,000,000 in starting capital to purchase or lease your first aircraft.

With your starting capital, head to the Aircraft Marketplace to acquire your first aircraft.

Buying vs Leasing

• Buying: Full ownership. Higher upfront cost but no recurring payments. You can sell the aircraft later.
• Leasing: Lower upfront cost with weekly lease payments. Good for expanding quickly, but you don't own the aircraft.

What to Look For

• Range: Ensure the aircraft can cover your planned routes
• Capacity: Match passenger capacity to route demand
• Operating Costs: Fuel burn and maintenance costs affect profitability
• Price: Stay within your budget — you'll need money for operations too

Once you have an aircraft, create a route to start generating revenue:

1. Go to Flight Operations → Create New Route
2. Your hub is automatically set as the origin
3. Search for and select a destination airport
4. Review the route details: distance, estimated flight time, demand analysis
5. Check the demand data to ensure there are passengers for this route
6. Click "Create Route" to confirm

After creating the route, head to Scheduling to assign aircraft and create flight times.

The Dashboard is your airline's operations centre, providing an overview of key metrics at a glance:

• Financial Summary: Current cash balance, weekly revenue, costs, and profit/loss
• Fleet Status: Total aircraft, active vs grounded, aircraft in maintenance
• Route Network: Number of active routes and total flights scheduled
• Staff Overview: Department headcounts and staffing levels
• Notifications: Important alerts about maintenance, finances, and operations

The Aircraft Marketplace contains over 250 real aircraft types spanning from the 1950s to the modern era.

Browsing & Filtering

1. Go to Fleet Management → Aircraft Marketplace
2. Use filters to narrow down by manufacturer, type, range, capacity, or era
3. Click on any aircraft to view detailed specifications

Aircraft Details

Each aircraft listing shows:

• Manufacturer and model name
• Introduction year (determines when it becomes available in era-based worlds)
• Passenger capacity by class configuration
• Range, cruise speed, and fuel consumption
• Purchase price and lease rates

Buying

1. Find an aircraft in the Marketplace
2. Click "Purchase"
3. Choose a cabin configuration (if applicable)
4. Assign a registration code
5. Confirm the purchase — the cost is deducted from your cash balance

Selling

1. Go to Fleet Management → My Fleet
2. Select the aircraft you want to sell
3. Click "Sell Aircraft"
4. The sale price is based on the aircraft's age, condition, and market value

Leasing allows you to operate aircraft without the full purchase price:

1. Find an aircraft in the Marketplace
2. Click "Lease" instead of Purchase
3. Review the lease terms: weekly payment, lease duration
4. Confirm the lease

Lease Costs

• Weekly lease payments are deducted automatically
• Lease costs appear in your financial reports under operating expenses
• Leased aircraft cannot be sold — only returned at lease end

Click on any aircraft (in the marketplace or your fleet) to see its full specifications:

• Performance: Maximum range, cruise speed, ceiling, fuel burn rate
• Capacity: Passengers by class (economy, business, first) and cargo capacity
• Dimensions: Wingspan, length, and ICAO wake turbulence category
• Economics: Purchase price, lease rate, operating cost per hour
• Maintenance: Check intervals and estimated maintenance costs
• Range Map: Visual overlay showing which airports this aircraft can reach from its current base

The My Fleet page shows all your owned and leased aircraft:

• Status indicators: Active (green), In Maintenance (amber), Grounded (red)
• Utilisation: How many hours per week each aircraft is flying
• Assigned routes: Which routes each aircraft is scheduled on
• Maintenance due: Upcoming checks and their deadlines

Routes connect two airports and define the path your flights will take:

1. Go to Flight Operations → Create New Route
2. Select the origin airport (defaults to your hub)
3. Search for and select a destination airport
4. The system calculates: great-circle distance, estimated flight time, and generates waypoint routing
5. Review the demand analysis showing expected passenger numbers
6. Click "Create Route"

Waypoint Routing

Routes use realistic ATC waypoints including:

• SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) from the origin
• Airways and waypoints en route
• STARs (Standard Terminal Arrival Routes) to the destination
• NAT Tracks for North Atlantic crossings (when applicable)

Before creating a route, review the demand analysis carefully:

• Total Demand: Estimated weekly passengers for this city pair
• Competition: Other airlines operating this route and their frequency
• Demand by Class: Breakdown of economy, business, and first class demand
• Seasonal Factors: Some routes have fluctuating demand

Go to Flight Operations → Manage Routes to see all your routes:

• View route performance: load factors, revenue, profitability
• Edit route details or delete unprofitable routes
• See which aircraft and flights are assigned to each route

The Airspace Configuration page lets you manage Flight Information Region (FIR) restrictions and overfly permissions:

• View FIR boundaries on the world map
• Check which FIRs your routes pass through
• Manage overflight fees and restrictions

Some FIRs may have higher fees or restrictions that affect route profitability. Consider routing around expensive airspace when planning long-haul routes.

Once you have routes and aircraft, schedule flights to start earning revenue:

1. Go to Flight Operations → Scheduling
2. Select an aircraft from your fleet
3. Select a route to fly
4. Choose the departure time
5. Optionally set it as a recurring flight (daily, specific days, etc.)
6. Click "Schedule Flight"

The system automatically calculates arrival time based on the route distance and aircraft speed, including turnaround time at the destination.

• One-Time Flight: A single flight that operates once. Useful for charter or test flights.
• Recurring Flight: Repeats automatically on selected days. This is how you build a regular schedule.

Setting Up Recurring Flights

1. When scheduling a flight, enable the "Recurring" option
2. Select which days of the week the flight should operate
3. The system creates flights automatically each game week

The scheduling system prevents conflicts by checking:

• Aircraft availability: An aircraft can only fly one route at a time
• Turnaround time: Minimum time needed between landing and next departure
• Maintenance windows: Flights cannot be scheduled during planned maintenance
• Airport positioning: The aircraft must be at the departure airport

If a conflict is detected, the system will warn you and suggest alternative times.

After each flight, aircraft need turnaround time for:

• Passenger deboarding and boarding
• Cabin cleaning and catering
• Refuelling
• Baggage handling
• Pre-flight checks

Turnaround time varies by aircraft size — larger aircraft need longer. The scheduling system accounts for this automatically when validating flight times.

Go to Flight Operations → Price Management to set ticket prices for your routes:

1. Select a route from the list
2. Set prices for each class: Economy, Business, First
3. The system shows recommended price ranges based on route distance and demand
4. Save your pricing

You can also set default pricing that applies to all new routes automatically.

Aircraft can be configured with different cabin class layouts:

• Economy: Highest capacity, lowest revenue per seat
• Business: Medium capacity, higher revenue per seat
• First Class: Lowest capacity, highest revenue per seat

The optimal configuration depends on your routes. Short-haul domestic routes may benefit from all-economy layouts, while long-haul international routes benefit from mixed-class configurations.

Passenger demand is affected by your pricing:

• Lower prices attract more passengers but reduce per-ticket revenue
• Higher prices reduce passenger numbers but increase per-ticket revenue
• Competition matters — if competitors price lower, you may lose passengers

The optimal price maximises total revenue (price × passengers). This is usually somewhere in the middle of the recommended range.

Low-Cost Strategy

Price at the lower end to maximise load factors. Works well with high-capacity aircraft on high-demand routes. Volume makes up for lower margins.

Premium Strategy

Price higher and focus on business/first class. Works on routes with high business travel demand. Fewer passengers but higher revenue per seat.

Competitive Pricing

Price slightly below competitors to capture market share. Monitor competitor pricing regularly and adjust accordingly.

Aircraft require regular maintenance to remain airworthy. There are five check levels:

1. Go to Fleet Management → Maintenance
2. View upcoming maintenance deadlines for each aircraft
3. Click "Schedule Check" to pick a maintenance window
4. The system will block off the aircraft's schedule during the check

For convenience, you can enable auto-scheduling for maintenance checks:

• The system automatically schedules checks before they become overdue
• Tries to find gaps in the aircraft's flight schedule
• Prevents aircraft from being grounded due to missed checks

Maintenance is a significant operating expense:

• Daily/Weekly checks: Relatively inexpensive
• A Checks: Moderate cost, proportional to aircraft size
• C Checks: Expensive — can cost hundreds of thousands
• D Checks: Very expensive — can cost millions for large aircraft

Costs are affected by aircraft type, age, and your engineering staff level. Well-staffed maintenance departments can reduce costs.

Go to Office → Financial Reports for a complete breakdown of your airline's finances:

• Income Statement: Revenue vs expenses for the current and past weeks
• Cash Flow: How money moves in and out of your airline
• Balance Sheet: Assets (aircraft, cash) vs liabilities (loans)

Revenue Sources

• Passenger ticket sales (economy, business, first class)
• Cargo revenue
• Aircraft sales

Cost Categories

• Fuel: Varies by aircraft type, route distance, and fuel prices
• Crew: Pilot and cabin crew salaries
• Maintenance: Check costs and ongoing maintenance
• Airport Fees: Landing, parking, and handling charges
• Staff Salaries: Ground staff across departments
• Lease Payments: Weekly payments for leased aircraft
• Loan Repayments: Principal and interest on outstanding loans
• Marketing: Campaign costs

At the end of each game week, a financial statement is generated summarising:

• Total revenue earned
• Total expenses incurred
• Net profit or loss
• Cash balance change

Historical statements are available so you can track your airline's performance over time and identify trends.

Key metrics to monitor:

• Operating Margin: (Revenue - Operating Costs) / Revenue. Aim for 15%+ to be healthy.
• Load Factor: Percentage of seats filled. Higher is better — aim for 70%+.
• Revenue per ASK: Revenue per available seat kilometre. Measures efficiency.
• Cost per ASK: Cost per available seat kilometre. Lower is better.

Marketing campaigns boost passenger demand for your airline:

• Brand Awareness: General airline visibility — boosts demand across all routes
• Route Promotion: Target specific routes to increase demand on them
• Regional Campaign: Focus on a geographic region to boost demand from/to airports in that area

Go to Office → Marketing to create and manage campaigns.

• Route Marketing: Targeted and efficient. Best for boosting specific underperforming routes or new routes that need passenger awareness.
• Regional Marketing: Broader reach. Good when you have multiple routes in a region and want to boost demand across all of them simultaneously.

Monitor your campaign performance:

• Demand Increase: How much additional passenger demand the campaign generated
• Cost: Weekly campaign expenditure
• ROI: Additional revenue generated vs campaign cost

Campaigns have diminishing returns — the first campaign on a route gives the biggest boost. Multiple overlapping campaigns have progressively less impact.

Your airline has several departments, each requiring staff:

• Pilots: Required for every flight. Need enough pilots for your schedule.
• Cabin Crew: Required for passenger flights. Number depends on aircraft size.
• Engineering: Maintains your fleet. More engineers = faster/cheaper maintenance.
• Ground Services: Handles ground operations at airports.
• Management: Administrative staff for airline operations.

Go to Office → Staff to manage your workforce.

Set staffing levels and salary rates for each department:

1. Choose the number of staff per department
2. Set the salary level (affects staff quality and costs)
3. Higher salaries attract better staff, improving efficiency

Some functions can be outsourced to contractors instead of hiring in-house staff:

• Outsourcing pros: No fixed salary costs, scales with demand, no commitment
• Outsourcing cons: Higher per-unit cost, less control over quality
• In-house pros: Lower per-unit cost at scale, better quality control
• In-house cons: Fixed weekly salary regardless of activity

Multiple banks offer loans with different terms:

• Each bank has its own interest rates, loan limits, and approval criteria
• Some banks specialise in startup loans, others in large expansion financing
• Your credit score affects which banks will lend to you and at what rate

Go to Office → Bank & Loans to browse available banks and apply for loans.

1. Select a bank from the available options
2. Choose the loan amount (within the bank's limits)
3. Review the interest rate and repayment terms
4. Submit your application
5. If approved, funds are added to your cash balance immediately

Your credit score is dynamic and affected by:

• Profitability: Consistent profits improve your score
• Debt ratio: Too much debt lowers your score
• Payment history: Making loan payments on time helps
• Airline reputation: Higher reputation improves creditworthiness

Better credit scores unlock lower interest rates and higher loan limits.

Loan repayments are automatic:

• Weekly payments are deducted from your cash balance
• Each payment includes principal and interest portions
• You can view your repayment schedule in the loans section
• Early repayment may be available for some loans

The Competition page lets you monitor other airlines in your world:

• See which routes competitors are operating
• Compare fleet sizes and aircraft types
• Monitor competitor pricing on shared routes
• Track revenue rankings and market share

Market share represents your airline's portion of total passenger traffic:

• Route level: Your share of passengers on a specific route
• Airport level: Your share of traffic at a specific airport
• Global: Your overall share across the entire world

Higher market share generally means more brand recognition and passenger preference.

The leaderboard ranks all airlines in the world by various metrics:

• Revenue: Total income generated
• Profit: Revenue minus all expenses
• Fleet Size: Number of aircraft
• Passengers: Total passengers carried
• Routes: Number of active routes

The World Map provides a visual overview of your airline's operations:

• Route lines: See your entire route network overlaid on the map
• Airport markers: Airports colour-coded by size and activity
• Layer toggles: Show/hide different data overlays
• Zoom & pan: Navigate to any part of the world

If you're connected via VATSIM SSO, you can see live flight tracking:

• Aircraft positions updated in real-time from the VATSIM network
• See your flights (and others) moving across the map
• Click on an aircraft to see flight details: callsign, altitude, speed, route

• FIR Boundaries: Toggle to see Flight Information Region boundaries overlaid on the map. Useful for understanding airspace fees and routing.
• NAT Tracks: North Atlantic Tracks are pre-defined routes across the Atlantic. Toggle to see current tracks used for transatlantic routing.

The demand heatmap layer visualises passenger demand across the globe:

• Brighter areas indicate higher passenger demand
• Helps identify promising regions for new routes
• Can be combined with competitor data to find underserved markets

Time Acceleration

Game time runs faster than real time. The typical acceleration is 60x, meaning:

• 1 real minute = 1 game hour
• 24 real minutes = 1 game day
• ~2.8 real hours = 1 game week

The game world continues running even when you're not playing — flights operate, revenue is earned, and costs are incurred.

Era Progression

As game time advances, new aircraft types become available based on their real-world introduction year. A world starting in 1960 will initially only have aircraft from that era (DC-8, Boeing 707), with newer types becoming available as the game year progresses.

Passenger demand between airports is determined by multiple factors:

• Airport size: Larger airports generate more demand
• Distance: Affects the type and volume of travel
• Economic factors: GDP, tourism, and business travel patterns
• Competition: Demand is shared among all airlines on a route
• Pricing: Your ticket prices affect how much demand you capture
• Marketing: Campaigns can boost demand
• Reputation: Higher airline reputation attracts more passengers

Demand fluctuates over time and responds to market conditions.

Credits are a meta-currency used to maintain your participation in game worlds:

• 1 credit is consumed per game week of active play
• New users start with a generous credit allocation
• Credits are shared across all your world memberships

Running Low on Credits

If your credits drop below zero:

• You have a grace period of 1 game month (up to -4 credits)
• After the grace period, your world participation is paused
• Your airline continues to exist but stops operating

AI airlines provide competition in the game world:

• They operate routes, set prices, and grow their networks
• In singleplayer worlds, you can adjust AI difficulty level
• AI airlines respond to market conditions and compete for passengers
• They help create a realistic competitive environment even with few human players

In multiplayer worlds, AI airlines supplement human players to ensure a healthy competitive market.

Your airline's reputation affects passenger preference and creditworthiness:

Reputation Increases From

• Operating flights on time
• Maintaining a large, well-maintained fleet
• Running marketing campaigns
• Consistent profitable operations

Reputation Decreases From

• Cancelled flights
• Grounded aircraft (missed maintenance)
• Financial difficulties
• Poor service (understaffing)

Higher reputation means passengers prefer your airline over competitors, and banks offer better loan terms.

If your airline's finances become unsustainable, you can declare bankruptcy:

• Go to Office → Declare Bankruptcy
• This resets your airline in the current world
• All aircraft, routes, and scheduled flights are removed
• Outstanding loans are written off
• You restart with the initial starting capital