Airlines Manager review: one airline game, two clocks

What it is

Airlines Manager is made by Playrion, a studio that describes itself as focused on free-to-play games about aviation. Note the plural: this is a different game from Trophy Games' Airline Manager, though the two are easy to mix up. The website is available in a dozen languages and opens with a recruitment letter: you are hired as the director of a brand-new airline, handed a large budget and carte blanche on strategy.

You can sign up and play on airlines-manager.com, and the mobile app, listed as "Airlines Manager: Plane Tycoon", is available for iPhone, iPad and Android. The site also still links to an older version called AM Classic.

How the game moves

The core is network building. You assemble a fleet from realistic aircraft drawn from modern civil aviation, open routes across a large set of geolocated airports and watch the results on a live flight map. Money management is part of the role; the site even mentions negotiating with bankers to finance your growth.

Two systems give Airlines Manager its own character. A research and development centre holds trees with more than 500 research items, and more than 200 services let you shape what kind of airline you run. The mobile listing adds livery painting, a second-hand aircraft market for trading planes with other players, and monthly challenges.

Alliances are the multiplayer layer. The official text suggests diplomatic skills help if you choose to grow inside an alliance, and that allies can back your future investments.

The studio leans on real aviation for its updates. Its app listing describes regular additions of new aircraft inspired by aviation news, a data partnership with IATA, and support for eight languages in the app. For an airline enthusiast, that steady link to the real industry is part of the appeal.

Time on the clock

Here is the defining choice. Professional mode runs in real time with realistic progress and no end date. Quick mode accelerates time seven-fold, speeds up progress and runs in seasons; the site advertised Season 3 at the time of our check.

Our read: Professional mode suits people who want an airline that grows slowly in the background of their week. Quick mode suits people who want visible results in each sitting, but a seven-times clock also means more happens while you are away, so it rewards more frequent visits. Seasons give Quick mode natural stopping points, which is useful if you like a clean break.

Fare structure

The site calls Airlines Manager a free airline management game. The Google Play listing of the mobile app shows both in-app purchases and ads. In short: free to start, optional in-game purchases, and advertising in the app.