Planes requirements

[danloveschrista]

I searched for a handy list and didn't find one, so I hunted down the stats and I'll put them here in case other people want a handier reference than post-it notes on the desk.

Small gate, 90 runway length:
Beech1900D, 19 pax
D8Q400, 50 pax
CRJ900, 75 pax
E195, 90 pax
B737, 140 pax
A320, 150 pax

Large gate, 150 runway length:
B707, 180 pax
B767, 250 pax

Xtra Large gate, 150 runway length:
B787, 300 pax

Xtra Large gate, 240 runway length:
A350, 360 pax
B777, 400 pax
A380, 525 pax
B747, 525 pax

So the Large gate and 150 runway have nothing using them, compared to the others...
Perhaps the B737 and A320 should be on the Large gate?
And the B787 is a weirdo between sizes.

[Ramsis]

Thank you Dan! :)

[]RK[ Eightball]

kind of agree that the 37 and 320 should be on large gates, other than using a remote gate as a standby i can't think of any airport that would load those a/c using stairs. I've never seen a CRJ or E170/195 boarded that way either, but for game purposes i can see it making sense, losing the income from the 37 and 320 in the early game would make it much tough though.

maybe reduce the foundation cost for upper levels as the main structure has already been built could make the transition to larger gates easier if those a/c were removed from the small gates

OR

allow them to use the small gates (as they do fit) but add stair trucks to the hanger or require the gate needs a boarding bridge

[ThomseN_tAPs ツ]

Well...in RL it is quite common to handle B737/A320 etc. via stairs. Ryanairs planes for example have built in Airstairs so they don't even need them from the airport. We have CRJs and Embraers and even A319/320 and 321 boarded by bus/stairs on a daily basis. Thats nothing uncommon.

BUT

Squeezing planes onto a small gate should have an effect on airline satisfaction I think.

[Dr.Acula]

It is actually quite common for planes like 737 and 320s to be loaded and unloaded via stairs. Especially budget airlines use them here in Europe.

My local airport "Berlin Tegel" for example uses stairs for all flights of terminal C.

[danloveschrista]

I have no idea what can/cannot be done IRL, just from a game perspective it seems like the LG/150 is a redundant step, accomodating only 2 models, between the 6 plane models handled by the SM/90, and the 5 handled by XL/240. Maybe there are mods that introduce high traffic in those models, or more intermediate models, IDK.

[Scifiwriterguy]

Originally posted by ThomseN:

Well...in RL it is quite common to handle B737/A320 etc. via stairs. Ryanairs planes for example have built in Airstairs so they don't even need them from the airport. We have CRJs and Embraers and even A319/320 and 321 boarded by bus/stairs on a daily basis. Thats nothing uncommon.

BUT

Squeezing planes onto a small gate should have an effect on airline satisfaction I think.

ThomseN, I hope you don't mind my asking, but where on our amusing little planet are you located? I ask only because I don't think I've ever seen anything larger than one of those Embraer test tubes being unloaded by airstair in a non-emergency situation, so I'm really rather curious where it's SOP. It's not at all that I'm doubting you, please don't think that!, but more just piqued curiosity. (Other than Ryanair, I should say. Any airline that wants the seats out clearly does not have a minimum "stoop to" level.)

Also, total agreement on gate size vs satisfaction. That would add a nice dimension of strategy and tactics to the management!

[Dr.Acula]

Search for Berlin Tegel and then check out the eastern part of the airport at terminal C. You will find various plane stands with stairs there.

Another example would be Frankfurt Main. The south eastern part of the airport has quite a few parking spots for planes that are (un-)loaded via stairs and passengers will be brought to the terminal with a bus

[ThomseN_tAPs ツ]

Originally posted by Scifiwriterguy:

Originally posted by ThomseN:

Well...in RL it is quite common to handle B737/A320 etc. via stairs. Ryanairs planes for example have built in Airstairs so they don't even need them from the airport. We have CRJs and Embraers and even A319/320 and 321 boarded by bus/stairs on a daily basis. Thats nothing uncommon.

BUT

Squeezing planes onto a small gate should have an effect on airline satisfaction I think.

ThomseN, I hope you don't mind my asking, but where on our amusing little planet are you located? I ask only because I don't think I've ever seen anything larger than one of those Embraer test tubes being unloaded by airstair in a non-emergency situation, so I'm really rather curious where it's SOP. It's not at all that I'm doubting you, please don't think that!, but more just piqued curiosity. (Other than Ryanair, I should say. Any airline that wants the seats out clearly does not have a minimum "stoop to" level.)

Also, total agreement on gate size vs satisfaction. That would add a nice dimension of strategy and tactics to the management!

No offense taken!
I am working on one of the larger airports in northern germany. As i did say it is quite a common sight to board planes by stairs here.

If you are curious just use google maps to take a closer look at airports over here and you'll see dozens of planes standing around with stairs attached.

Below are some examples from around europe:

Amsterdam:
https://www.google.de/maps/@52.3021055,4.7580119,319m/data=!3m1!1e3

Hamburg:
https://www.google.de/maps/@53.6322866,9.9994896,333m/data=!3m1!1e3

Frankfurt:
https://www.google.de/maps/@50.0496729,8.5905993,215m/data=!3m1!1e3

[flick70]

My 2 cents...

I think even large and xlarge gates should have the jetways as an upgrade...and start with stairs only. The reason is that maybe I want to build a retro airport from the 1960s/70s. Jetways were not nearly as common then. I recall 747's being loaded by stairs in the day.

This also makes sense for remote stands. Eventually I foresee buses transferring pax to the remote stands. It would look darn silly having a jetway hanging out in the middle of nowhere...but stairs on wheels...that would look perfect.

[ThomseN_tAPs ツ]

@flick70: I agree! +1

My vote would go to free sizeable gate spaces and the game tells you which aircraft can be handled on the size you have planned (as it does with runways).

Anything else like Jetways, stairs, fuel hubs, busses etc. should be upgrades.

I'd even say a second stair on the aft of the plane should be available as an upgrade to speed up Stairboarding.

[flick70]

Originally posted by ThomseN:

@flick70: I agree! +1

My vote would go to free sizeable gate spaces and the game tells you which aircraft can be handled on the size you have planned (as it does with runways).

Anything else like Jetways, stairs, fuel hubs, busses etc. should be upgrades.

I'd even say a second stair on the aft of the plane should be available as an upgrade to speed up Stairboarding.

High-five back atcha! I do however feel the gates should have uniform sizes. Free-form gates could cause some issues with planning. But on that note, it they do become free-form, lets have the ability to choose where the jetways and/or doors to the terminal are located. By being able to center or offset the connection location...it would help with making odd-shaped terminals that you might wants to jetway exits to be much closer together than is currently allowed.

[ThomseN_tAPs ツ]

Maybe a uniform depth with a free sizeable width ?

And please pay attention to wingtip clearance! Thats one of my biggest "No no's" of the game at the moment...i cant watch an A380 wiping all those Gates! :P

[flick70]

Originally posted by ThomseN:

Maybe a uniform depth with a free sizeable width ?

And please pay attention to wingtip clearance! Thats one of my biggest "No no's" of the game at the moment...i cant watch an A380 wiping all those Gates! :P

Maybe that is a new feature...newspaper headlines. "A380 destroys 6 other plane tails while taxiing to their gate...no injuries reported". :)

[Dr.Acula]

When it comes down to gate and run way sizes as well as plane requirements I think a wider range of planes would actually be quite nice.

For planes like the Beech1900D and D8Q400 smaller gates would be nice. I mean at the moment in terms of space requirements the s and l gates require exactly the same amount of space. So something smaller for the start would be nice. It would also make sense then to have more small plane types that can be used at these gates.

The current small gate is fine for the smaller A320 and 737 models. However, we know that there are various types of A320s and 737. The newer models actually have become quite big and it would therefore make sense to add 737-800, -900 and Max series for the the large gate.

In addition a bit more variation with the runway requirements would also be nice. The smallest planes could start and land on runways that have 70 in length while the small 737/A320 needs 100 in length and the bigger models could then have additional size requirements (737-800 needs 120, the -900 requires 130 and so on). I checked the stats on Wikipedia and the different 737 models do have indeed different requirements when landing and taking off.

This would allow for a more gradual expansion of the airport with smaller steps in terms of unlocking new content.

[Scifiwriterguy]

Originally posted by ThomseN:

I am working on one of the larger airports in northern germany. As i did say it is quite a common sight to board planes by stairs here.

Ahh, now I see! :D With the exception of small airports like regionals, airstairs aren't too common in the 'States - mainly to get people off a plane that can't get to the terminal...or they don't want standing next to the building for some reason. (Like that Southwest 737 that blew a window back in April; those folks were deplaned by stairs and bused back to the terminal.) Generally, if they had to hose down the plane with AFFF, it's going to be stairs. Otherwise, the insurers tend to be very...uncomfortable with passengers out on the apron. (Yes, the same insurers who argued against motorcycle helmet laws. They're hardly consistent.)

Originally posted by ThomseN:

Maybe a uniform depth with a free sizeable width ?

And please pay attention to wingtip clearance! Thats one of my biggest "No no's" of the game at the moment...i cant watch an A380 wiping all those Gates! :P

From a gameplay perspective, that'd be incredibly cool - but from a coding perspective, I see allllll kinds of pain. Still, these guys are good, so I wouldn't necessarly rule it out.

Originally posted by flick70:

Maybe that is a new feature...newspaper headlines. "A380 destroys 6 other plane tails while taxiing to their gate...no injuries reported". :)

You laugh, but it happened. ;) Well, not *six* planes, and not an A380, but a nice accident all the same. Long story short: Westjet 2425 (B737) on the ground at YYZ heading to gate when an empty Sunwing being tractor-backed off its ramp directly into its path. WJ couldn't stop, SW stopped late, WJ winglet crashes into SW's APU, loud crunch, bright flash, pretty flames, good times had by all. No injuries. (And, of course, plenty of idiots filming the action instead of obeying cabin crew.) Video on YouTube (of COURSE), just search out "Toronto Pearson fire 5/1/2018" and/or "Westjet and Sunwing collide on the ground at Toronto"

And that's just one example of many...