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Run an Airline Flight Profit Calculator

Enter the fare, seats, load factor, cabin service price and operating cost from your route card to get net profit per flight, margin, break-even load factor and profit per aircraft-hour.

By RunAnAirline.wiki editorial

What this calculator answers

It answers one question: does this flight earn more than it costs, and by how much? The inputs are the four values the route card prints plus one cost figure you derive from a completed flight.

The output is not a prediction of the game's next flight. It is the arithmetic consequence of the numbers you entered, which is what makes it useful for comparing two settings before you spend a cycle testing them.

Profit and break-even

Defaults use the verified London–Lagos fare tiers and cabin service prices. Replace them with your own route card values.

Net per flight
$7,087
32.6 passengers
Revenue
$19,519
Service cost
$432.00
Per flight, all seats
Margin
36.3%
Break-even load
43.3%
Seats needed to cover cost
Net per hour
$2,362

Revenue = fare × seats × load factor. Service cost = price per seat × seats. Net = revenue − service − operating cost.

How to read the outputs

Break-even load factor is the share of seats that must be sold before the flight covers its costs. If it sits above the load factor you actually observe, the route cannot pay for itself at that fare and cost.

Profit per hour divides the net result by the quoted block time. Use it whenever two routes have different durations, because a longer flight ties up the aircraft for longer.

Three checks before you trust a result

  • The load factor came from a completed flight, not from a guess.
  • The operating cost was derived from the same flight, not copied from another route.
  • The block time is the quoted time on the route card, not distance divided by speed.
QUICK ANSWERS

Profit calculator questions

How do I find the operating cost?

Run one flight, note the reported cash result, then subtract the service cost from the reconstructed ticket revenue. The remainder is the combined operating cost for that flight.

Why is my margin different from the game's number?

Because the game may apply demand or service weighting that is not published. Use the calculator for comparison between settings, and the route card for the authoritative result.

What is a healthy break-even load factor?

Lower is better, and it should sit comfortably below the load factor you actually observe. If break-even is above your observed load, the route needs a cheaper service, a lower cost or a higher fare.

Can I use this for a route I have not opened?

Only with the fare tiers the game shows for that route. Demand is unknown before the first flight, so treat any pre-flight result as a scenario rather than a forecast.

Sources and references