Airline Manager is an addicting Facebook game (http://apps.facebook.com/airline_manager/index.php) developed outside the Social Network, that let you create and manage your own airline; buy aircraft; choose routes according to the aircraft type and endurance, and to the demand for a particular destination; pay for catering and maintenance; purchase fuel (whose prices depend on the global market and change); invest in advertising and buy and sell other companies stocks. The goal of the game is to increase the value of the company by expanding your fleet and routes. Interestingly, the game is in real time, meaning that you can follow in “live mode” a flight in progress and if a flight lasts 14 hours (as my Rome – San Diego does), you have to wait all that time before the return flight can depart. Incidents, failures and personnel strike can occur, so you have to spend your money carefully because you could need some hundred thousands US Dollars to fix an aircraft or to give you pilots a pay raise.
But, first of all, you have to think to a name for your airline. The one I chose is EcoLux, from Ecological and Luxurious: Ecological because, today, both airlines and aircraft manufacturer are compelled to address environmental issues with a “green vision”; Luxurious because a modern airline with the ambition of growing fast has to provide first class services to its passengers to cope with important challengers like the rich Middle East airlines (Emirates, Ethiad, etc.). I created a logo (that you can see on the right image) for ECOLUX and a colour scheme according to it.
My virtual airline is expanding very fast so, if you have your own company on Airline Manager, I suggest you to invest on ECOLUX soon!
