What Is a Virtual Airline?

A virtual airline (VA) gives your simulator flying a structure. Instead of picking a random aircraft and airport each session, you fly the routes, aircraft and procedures of an airline, and every flight counts towards your record with that airline.

A VA can be a handful of friends flying regional routes or a large organisation with hundreds of active pilots, staff teams and a full timetable. The basic loop is the same either way.

How a Virtual Airline Works

The cycle looks like this, whatever the VA's size:

1. You join. You register on the airline's website and fill in any application it asks for. A VA may also ask for a check flight or a quick test on its rules.
2. You book a flight. The airline publishes a schedule of routes, and you pick one that suits your rank, your aircraft and the time you have.
3. You fly it. You load the aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), X-Plane or another supported simulator and fly the route from gate to gate.
4. Your flight is recorded. An ACARS client running alongside the simulator records the flight: times, fuel, route flown, flight phases and the landing.
5. You file a PIREP. At the end of the flight a pilot report (PIREP) goes to the airline. It's either accepted automatically or checked by staff.
6. Your record grows. Accepted flights add to your hours and flight count, which move you up through the airline's ranks and open up bigger aircraft and longer routes.

That loop is the whole point. It turns individual sim sessions into a career with a history you can look back on. For more on the records themselves, see what a PIREP is and what ACARS means in flight simulation.

What You Need to Fly With a Virtual Airline

The bar is low: a simulator the airline supports (its website lists which of MSFS 2020 and 2024, X-Plane 11 and 12, FSX and Prepar3D it accepts), a pilot account on the airline's website, and the ACARS client the airline uses to record your flights. Join its community server or chat too, if it has one: that's where announcements, events and help happen.

You don't need real flying experience or expensive add-on aircraft, though a VA may require certain types for certain routes. How to join a virtual airline goes through the full checklist and how to pick one.

Types of Virtual Airlines

VAs differ in what they fly and how strict they are. Here's how we'd group them:

There's also a wide range in realism. Some VAs want you to follow detailed operating procedures and fly only with online air traffic control. Others ask for little more than a flight every month or two. Neither is better; it depends on how you like to fly.

A VA that uses a real airline's name is a fan project. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by that airline unless it clearly says so. The trade-offs between the two approaches are covered in real or fictional virtual airlines.

What a Virtual Airline Isn't

A few things get mixed up with VAs, so it helps to separate them:

• It isn't an air traffic control network. Online ATC networks give you human controllers to talk to. A VA gives you an airline to fly for. You can fly with a VA on or off an ATC network, depending on its rules.
• It isn't real pilot training. VAs are a flight simulation hobby. Ranks, hours and check flights are part of the game, not qualifications.
• It isn't a job. Pilots aren't paid, and the people running a VA are volunteers too.

What You Get Out of It

In our view, these are the reasons a VA is worth joining:

• A reason to fly. A booked flight with a schedule behind it gives each session a purpose.
• Progression. Watching your hours climb and earning a promotion to a bigger aircraft keeps you coming back.
• Community. Group flights, events and people to ask when something in the sim isn't working.
• Better flying. A landing that's recorded and scored makes you care about the approach. In our experience, flying improves once every touchdown is on the record.

When you've joined, your first virtual airline flight shows what a flight looks like from booking to PIREP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do virtual airlines cost money to join?

A VA is a hobby project run by volunteers, so we wouldn't expect one to charge you to join. Your costs are the simulator itself and any add-on aircraft you choose to buy.

Can I join a virtual airline with MSFS or X-Plane?

Yes, as long as the VA supports your simulator. Its website lists which simulators it accepts (MSFS, X-Plane, FSX, Prepar3D) and which ACARS client to use with them.

Do I need to be a good pilot to join a virtual airline?

No. A well-run VA starts new pilots on simpler aircraft and shorter routes, and may have training staff who will help with procedures and landings. What matters is that you follow the rules and fly regularly.

How active do I have to be?

Each VA sets its own activity rule, so check its rules page. We think one flight every 30 to 90 days to keep your account active is a fair ask; a VA with strict rules can ask for more.

Are virtual airlines affiliated with real airlines?

Not unless it says so. A VA based on a real airline uses its name and routes as a fan project. Unless it states an official link, assume there isn't one.

Where Stratos Fits

Stratos is a free ACARS client by Skyvex Software that records your flights and files PIREPs to your VA. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, reads MSFS, X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D directly, and pilots never pay for it. If your airline uses Stratos, you can download it here and follow the getting started guide.