Virtual airline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A virtual airline (VA) is a dedicated hobby organization that uses flight simulation to model the operations of an airline. Virtual Airlines generally have a presence on the Internet, similar to a real airline.
The first virtual airlines were established at the dawn of the internet boom in the early nineties. As a result some of the oldest Virtual Airlines have been in continuous operation for over 10 years. To date Virtual airlines are usually non-profit organizations, although some attempt to replicate real airlines in terms of organizational structure. The most common organizational structure often includes one or more of the following positions: CEO, COO, President, Vice-President, Customer Relationship director, Operations director, and virtual pilots.
While a wide variety of virtual airlines are fictional in name and operation, other virtual airlines take the name of a real-world airline (with approval from the actual corporate entity to which they virtually represent). Additionally, there are virtual airline that run several more or less independent virtual airlines under a common brand, site design, or name.
Pilots who work for these simulated companies must have a flight simulator and other computer equipment in order to carry out their flight assignments. Usually, the airline's website keeps a record of the hours flown by each pilot and sometimes even pays them virtually for the flight.
Technology has vastly improved since the introduction of BBS-operated virtual airlines, allowing a wider variety of tools and resources available to virtual pilots, enhancing realism of flight simulation. Pilots can now fly online using networks such as VATSIM or IVAO. While connected to the network, pilots can see other aircraft, hear and respond to Air Traffic Control and see weather conditions that parallel the real-world weather at their plane's location. Using these services, most virtual airlines regularly host online events where virtual pilots can participate in group flights with hundreds of other pilots.
While virtual airlines are not real, since the flights only happen inside of a computer, they are considered a serious hobby that has appeal among a very wide age range of participants. Some even simulate real-world airlines to the point where flight dispatching and virtual salary are part of the virtual airline's basic operations. The appeal varies; for younger members, virtual airlines provide a sandbox environment where they can experience the corporate environment of commercial business in the airline industry, without the risk of financial loss. VA's also provide an outlet for those who are interested in aviation but unable to fly themselves in real life due to financial, health, or other reasons.
Other types of virtual airlines include Virtual VFR Clubs.
[edit] Trivia
Sometimes the real and the virtual can collide:
In 2003, a real world airline, Qantas Airways Ltd, announced a new low-cost carrier by the name of Jetstar Airways. However, A Virtual airline named Jetstar International Airlines already existed, complete with a web site. As part of their startup promotion, Qantas sold 100,000 airline tickets for $29, and the virtual airline's web site was swamped with would-be customers, job-seekers, and prospective vendors. The virtual airline sued Qantas, claiming that Qantas stole the virtual airline's livery and trademark.[1][2] This is the first known case of a real world airline using a virtual airline's trademarks and intellectual property.
No settlement has been publicly announced, and Qantas now owns the jetstarairlines.com domain, so the details of the settlement (if any) are unknown.
