This article describes the Rules and Code of Conduct specific to the AirwaySim simulations and the simulation game itself. The rules are set to ensure fair play for everyone.
General
The main Terms of Service apply at all times.
User Accounts
The Terms of Service contain most of the user account related rules.
Main rule to remember is that each user is only allowed to create and use one account at our website. Multiple accounts will lead to a complete ban to the website without warning.
Remember also that it is forbidden to share your account login information (username/password) to any third party. Each user account must be used only by a single person at all times.
Etiquette
AirwaySim is a simulation of airline business, but still ultimately just a place for people to enjoy and have fun.
Thus we expect that all members act in a proper manner and behave friendly towards other players; this includes all communications between members and also management actions in the game worlds itself. In other words - you are of course free to manage your airline in the way you see the best and employ the best tactics you have learned but always keep in mind that you must be friendly and polite to other members, and also of course stick to the rules and terms set by the administration.
This etiquette applies to all aspects of the game and the service, including for example forum posts, private messaging system, airline names and descriptions and airline press releases.
Account Inactivity
Inactive airlines / user accounts are automatically removed from the game worlds. This is to avoid users paying Credits for games they do not play, and also to remove inactive airlines from the worlds in order to give space to others.
If the player does not log in to the website even once during any 14-day period his airline will be automatically closed and he is removed from that game world. A warning e-mail will be sent some days before the airline is actually removed.
Please note that keeping the airline active requires the user to "log in" also to the game world in question (not just a login to the website / forums, but to open and access also that particular game world).
The inactivity closure may be overridden by setting on the vacation mode from your airline settings.
Holidays and Absence
If the user knows that he will be away and unable to access his airline, he may appoint another user to take care of the airline while he is away. This is done by resetting a temporary password (from My Account page) to the user account and passing on this information to the friend acting as the deputy. Once the original player returns he can reset the password and the deputy has no access to the account anymore. This method can be used only if both users are well acquainted and understand that the original user is still responsible for all the actions taken under his account.
The rule exception may only be used for short-term and temporary absences (~no longer than 7-14 days in a row).
Since account usage is monitored, it is recommended to inform the administration of this exception before using it to avoid confusions.
Airline Names
Airlines may not use names which are real world airline names or other trademarked company names, or names that very closely resemble those. The name and logo must be also within good taste and shall not be offensive.
For example the real airline name Lufthansa is not allowed; and an example of "too similar" name could be "Lufthonsa" or "Lufthase" - both not allowed as they are same as the real name but with only one letter changed. Real airline logos and liveries are also disallowed as they are usually trademarked by their owners.
If you are in doubt if an airline or other company with your name exists, a simple Google search is enough to check it. The administration does not expect users to check trademark registries or other sources when deciding their airline name. In other words, please use common sense.
Historical airline names may be allowed if it is certain that the name is no longer owned by any other company; it is the responsibility of the user to check this. But generally past airline names (such as Pan Am) are not recommended. Please create your own custom airline instead.
Fair competition
All airlines in AirwaySim must act in a proper and "businesslike" manner. It is of course known that the money is only virtual money with each airline and losses or bankruptcy does not hurt anyone like it would in real life. Despite of this the administration has created the following rules to prevent unnecessary anti-competitive actions towards other airlines.
New Airlines
The game worlds receive new players and airlines on regular basis. The longer the game world has been active the more likely it is that a new airline will be based to an airport with one or more other airlines already operating from. In such cases the owners of the existing airlines should keep in mind that coordinated attacks, or any other uncompetitive ways, to use their power as a larger or more dominant airline to deliberately force this new entrant out of business is disallowed.
Any coordinated "attacks" by single airline, alliances, or by any other group of airlines, to prevent some airline from operating on a route or to deliberately push some airline out of the simulation are not allowed.
Competition is generally free in the simulation but any clearly unfair competition measures such as flying routes with overcapacity and deliberately targeting many/all routes of a single airline are considered unfair competition, especially if the "target" is a new / small airline.
There are no exact values on which airline can be considered small or new since it depends on the type of the game and airlines involved. The administration will determine this based on the details available. Generally airlines over one year old are already considered established and competition rules are then more relaxed.
Routes and Seats
The airlines may not oversupply the estimated passenger demand on a route in large numbers. Airline may not supply over 200% of the estimated passenger demand on any route. This rule is in force regardless of the passenger volume or competition on the route. The rule is the same even if the estimated demand is 10pax or for example 1000pax per day, and also valid even if there are no other competing airlines on the route (the large seat oversupply would potentially block other airlines wishing to enter the route).
The seat supply may not exceed the given 200% limit on any single day (each day's demand vs. supply is checked separately).
In practice this means that if estimated passenger demand on a route is 100pax per day (weekly average) the airline may not fly more than 200pax per day on that route segment. Any more seats supplied would be considered dumping the seats and thus trying to limit competition and entrance of other airlines to the route.
Keep in mind that the passenger demands shown in the game are estimates and their accuracy depends on the staff efficiency of each airline but generally the demand numbers are +/-30% accurate - if there are doubts the administration can check the actual value.
In this chapter the term "airlines" apply also to alliances; one alliance can be considered as a single airline. In other words two (or more) airlines of the same alliance are counted as single airline/unit.
Airport Slots
The system requires airlines to acquire airport slots for some of the routes the airline operates.
Player / airline is not allowed to use unfair tactics with the aim of being able to control more slots than the normal airline operation requires. This means, for example (but not limited to), that the airline may not continuously switch between aircraft or routes in a way that slots that would otherwise expire are kept under the control of the airline, and airline may not plan routes and not fly them within a reasonable time, and so on. Another example of unfair method is continuous reloading of the airport information / slot information pages, in order to obtain information when new airport slots become available (Terms of Service also deny the use of any programmed or third-party aids).
The airline is also forbidden to create routes so that the only purpose is to get airport slots and preserve them for future use. In practice this would, for example (but not limited to), mean routing aircraft to airports and routes that provide no profit, or by clearly oversupplying the estimated pax demand, and later switching the routes to other airports when more suitable aircraft equipment is available.
In summary, airline is not allowed to create "placeholder" routes to obtain slots to use them later or to restrict competing airlines. Any routes created (and slots obtained) must be made only for the purpose of actually flying them. Any new routes created (and slots) must be put to use within one month (game time) from the time they were created - keeping the slots allocated and inactive any longer is considered a rule violation, and is subject to a fine at slot restricted airports (where slots are almost or fully used).
Two or more airlines are also not allowed to coordinate transfer of airport slots between each others in large numbers in airports that are restricted in number of available slots.
Administration can identify these "slot hogging" cases and these were just some examples of the disallowed practices.
Co-operation
Competition is generally free and without restrictions, and two or more airlines may form deals and co-operation agreements with each others, in a similar manner what alliances would do. However any deliberate attacks towards other airlines / users are not allowed. The competition rules about alliances (routes, aircraft sales etc.) are also in force if two (or more) non-alliance airlines decide to co-operate together.
Users are forbidden to effectively transfer money between two airlines by for example repeatedly selling and buying aircraft between each others. Normal one-time sales of aircraft, including sale & leaseback deals, are naturally allowed but transferring aircraft with the only intention of at the same time generating profits/money to one airline is considered unacceptable. The purchasing airline must also have a legitimate use for the aircraft to be purchased - putting the aircraft into storage, scrapping it or letting the aircraft sit idle after it has been purchased is not a fair basis for aircraft sales (especially if combined with an exceptionally low or high purchase price).
Acting as an aircraft broker (purchasing aircraft en masse and then leasing/selling them onwards) is naturally fully allowed, and even encouraged, within the aircraft selling price limits set by the system.
Alliances
Alliances are group of airlines that have been provided with forums to be able to communicate between each others regarding the game world related matters. The same rules apply to alliances as with any other individual airlines.
The most important rule about alliance game behavior is that alliances are not allowed to perform any coordinated alliance-wide schemes or attacks against other single airlines or other alliances. Alliance airlines may not target deliberately the routes of single other airline / alliance with an effort of pushing them out of the market or forcing to bankruptcy. Normal airline management and route competition is allowed but unfair methods with coordinated, targeted and combined actions are considered unfair competition.
Two airlines of the same alliance may not be based at the same airport (HQ or additional bases).
Forums and Social Channels
Players must keep in mind that AirwaySim is a place for enjoyment and fun for people. Social interaction between players is encouraged!
Our forums have been integrated to the game world system in a way that player can post content to the forums that is also visible in the game worlds.
The messages must be of good taste and shall not be harassing, threatening or in violation of any law. Users have the ability to report violating public and private messages to the administration and user found to be behaving against these rules may be suspended from the game worlds.
Players can also send public or private messages between others but also in these messages the same terms apply as in all other forum messages.
The same rules apply also to other social channels, such as Discord.
Complete terms of the forums can be found from the main Terms of Service page.
Penalties
If these rules are not followed the administration has the right to perform any necessary actions to limit the access of the violating player. If other players notice clear term/rule violations they should contact the administration either by using forum private message (PM) or our website contact from.
Some of the standard penalties are (administration will decide the proper action case-by-case):
- Usage of real / trademarked airline name (or other name / logo issue)
- Player is warned via private message system and has 2 days to correct the situation by rebranding the airline from the game interface.
- Non-compliance or recurring name violations will lead to airline closure without further warnings, and/or other necessary measures.
- Usage of real / trademarked / copyrighted airline logo / livery (or other name / logo issue)
- Automatic removal of the airline logo / livery by administration, warning posted to the player via private message system.
- Oversupplying ("flooding") seats on a route
- In most cases the oversupply enforcement is fully automatic: The player receives the warning via in-game messaging system and he has 24 hours time to correct the situation.
- If the situation is not corrected within this time, the game automation will close the routes automatically.
- In extreme cases the game administration may also enforce this rule manually. In such cases the regular time limits and normal penalties of just route closure may not apply (administration may issue penalties in form of airline cash, or other suitable means).
- Using airport slots against the rules ("slot hogging")
- Administration may immediately close the routes to release the slots back to public pool.
- Warning and communications are sent via private message system.
- Recurring violations will lead to airline closure.
- Fine for the airline may also be issued in the form of in-game cash.
- Aircraft trading done only in order to transfer money between airlines
- Penalties will be issued based on the severity of the infraction.
- This may include for example a penalty in form of in-game cash and a Company Image penalty.
- Two, or more, accounts used by the same player
- Immediate ban of both (all) user accounts of the player, with access to the game worlds / airlines removed completely.
- Single account used by two, or more, persons (account sharing)
- If not within the Holiday Deputy scope of these rules, account is subject to ban without warning.
- Aggressive behavior in the forums / social channels (messages, press releases, PM ...)
- Depending on the case. Usually the user is first warned via private message system.
- If violations continue a ban to post may be issued, or a ban to the whole game area and site may be also possible in severe cases.