Chief Airline Officer · a free multiplayer airline management game

Passengers don't live at airports.

Demand is built from 21,000+ real cities and regions worldwide, and every traveler picks among nearby airports by travel time. Fares, service, and connections decide the rest. Out-plan human rivals, one route at a time.

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Free to play · No download · Runs in your browser

Globe view in Chief Airline Officer: Stuart Airlines' green route network from an LAX hub across the Americas, with 113 routes, 3 bases, 85 destinations, and about 22,400 daily passengers.
Stuart Airlines: 113 routes, 85 destinations, and about 22,400 passengers a day from an LAX hub.

Demand starts where people live

  • About 21,000 real cities and regions, each with its own population. An origin can choose among up to 10 nearby airports.
  • Travel time is a straight-line estimate, capped at about 165 minutes. It is not a road network, and demand is not modeled by zip code or neighborhood.
  • In the United States, demand comes from all 3,222 counties using Census data. Canada uses census divisions, Mexico uses municipios, and the rest of the world uses GeoNames cities plus leftover admin-1 regions.
  • Open a route at a secondary airport and you can win travelers who would rather not make the longer trip to the hub. Connecting itineraries are modeled, so a passenger can fly through your hub when that path wins.

Other airline games start demand at the airport. Chief Airline Officer starts it where people live.

See your network grow

World map in Chief Airline Officer with competing airline route networks drawn in different colors across continents.
Network map. The world map, with every airline's routes in its own color.
Route analysis screen comparing rival fares and how passengers split between nonstop and connecting flights.
Route analysis. See who flies a city pair, what rivals charge, and how passengers split.
Airline overview dashboard showing cash, recent profit, fleet, and route performance for a carrier.
Airline overview. Cash, profit, fleet, and the network on one screen.
Livery studio with a side view of an airliner whose fuselage, tail, and engines are painted in a custom scheme.
Livery studio. Paint a fuselage, tail, and engines, then save the livery.

How it plays

  1. 1. Create a free account and join a world. You share the passengers and airports with other human airlines.
  2. 2. Found your carrier. You start with $25 million, then buy or lease aircraft, set a cabin, and open routes from your headquarters or a base you add later.
  3. 3. Compete on the clock. Passengers compare price, travel time, service, and connections. A game day advances about every 45 real minutes, including while you are away.

How it works · Features · FAQ · Airline management game · Best airline games

Built by an operator

Stuart Fischeris a small-business owner who runs Hampton Cove RV & Boat Storage in Alabama and built Chief Airline Officer himself.

— Stuart, founder · Join the Discord

What's new: rebuilt and stable

Rebuilt for stability: faster pages, a day-close that no longer stalls the site, loan and route-fee fixes, and each airline keeping its own cash, fleet, and routes. A new airline still starts with the same $25 million as everyone else.

Read the changelog

Frequently asked questions

Is Chief Airline Officer free to play?

Yes. You can register and play for free. Optional credits are $5 each, or four for $15. One credit unlocks a consultant-style extra: route analysis, the livery studio, or founding an alliance. Joining an existing alliance stays free. Core airline competition does not require a purchase.

Is it pay-to-win?

No. Credits unlock optional tools — route analysis, the livery studio, and founding an alliance. They do not add cash or aircraft, and they do not change how passengers choose flights. Every airline is scored with the same rules.

How does time work?

One in-game day advances about every 45 real minutes. A game month is 30 game days, about 22.5 real hours. The world clock keeps advancing between sessions, so the market moves while you are away.

Do I need to download anything?

Chief Airline Officer runs in a modern web browser on desktop or mobile. Create a free account and join a world — there is nothing to install.

Can I join a world late?

Yes. Open worlds accept new airlines after the clock has started. You found a carrier with the same starter cash as everyone else ($25 million) and play the current game date. The calendar does not rewind.

Where can I talk to other players?

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/nNK56unYE. That is the fastest place for questions, bug reports, and ideas. Email also works for account help.

Where does passenger demand come from?

Demand is built from 21,000+ real cities and regions worldwide. In the United States that is all 3,222 counties, from Census data. Canada uses census divisions, Mexico uses municipios, and the rest of the world uses GeoNames cities plus leftover admin-1 regions. A traveler starts in one of those places and chooses among nearby airports by travel time. Each origin can consider up to 10 airports. Travel time is a straight-line estimate, capped at about 165 minutes.

How do passengers choose a flight?

They compare complete offers: which nearby airport they would use, the fare, the travel time to that airport, the service on board, and whether a connection beats a nonstop. Business, leisure, and visiting-friends-and-relatives travelers weigh those pieces differently. A one-stop is offered only when two real flights meet at a hub, on the same airline or on alliance partners. Every airline is scored with the same rules.

What do optional credits unlock?

The game is free. Optional credits are $5 each, or four for $15. One credit unlocks one of three tools: route analysis, the livery studio, or founding an alliance. Joining an alliance that already exists is free. Credits do not add cash or aircraft, and they do not change how passengers choose flights.

How much money does a new airline start with?

Every new airline starts with $25 million on the current game date. Joining a world that is already running does not rewind the calendar and does not add extra starter cash. You buy or lease aircraft, open routes, and compete for the same passengers as the airlines already flying.

Can I order, lease, or finance aircraft?

Yes. You can order new aircraft, buy from the used market, lease, or finance. A used asking price steps down the longer that listing sits unsold. As an airframe ages it costs more to operate and its reliability falls. Airframes retire at 40 years. You set a cabin layout for the airplane you put on a route.

What if the airline runs out of cash?

Fuel prices and interest rates move with the world economy. The simulation also includes shocks such as a fuel spike, a pandemic, or a war. If cash cannot cover lease or finance payments, payroll, and gate fees, a 90-game-day insolvency clock starts. Restoring coverage stops that clock. A corporate loan desk is there when you still have room to borrow.

Does the world keep moving when I log out?

Yes. One in-game day advances about every 45 real minutes, including while you are signed out. A game month is 30 game days, about 22.5 real hours. Routes, fares, and aircraft you already set stay in the schedule. You do not have to watch the clock for the airline to keep flying.

Start your airline

Free in the browser. Join a world, found a carrier, and compete for passengers who start in real cities and regions.

Play for freeJoin the Discord
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