Getting Started

When Flight Dispatch 98 is first set up, it knows your company’s base and nothing else: no routes, aircraft or flights. These four steps enter them. The clock runs as you work; press P to pause it.

While you find your way around, the View menu can add Helpful Hints about which keys do what, and underline terms and airport codes you can point at to explain.

1. Open a route

Go to the Routes tab (Alt+R) and press N. Your base is filled in: type the other airport’s code, such as CDG or LFPG (see Airfields), and press Enter.

2. Lease an aircraft

With the route selected, press L. The market lists only aircraft that can fly it. Pick one with ↑ and ↓, press Enter, then Y to send the lease request. It’s delivered to your base in a day or two: see Leasing. If you’ll maintain it yourself, crews and engineers rated on it join your base: see Crew.

3. Schedule flights

Back on the Routes tab, press S. Choose the aircraft type with ← and →, the direction with D, and type the departure time in UTC (0715); L shows the times in each airport’s local time instead. It flies daily unless you Tab to the days and choose others. The return is filled in, leaving after your preferred turnaround; Tab moves to it, or to either flight number, to type over them. Press Enter to add both flights.

4. Request slots

At slot-coordinated airports, each departure and arrival needs a slot. If a flight needs one, the dialog says so: press S to go to the Slots tab, stage the flight and its return, press C to request their slots, then schedule the flights: back in the dialog, ↑ and ↓ step through the times that use the slots you hold. See Airport slots.

Your flights are now on the Schedule tab (Alt+S), and the Alerts report each departure and arrival.

Saving

Your company is saved as soon as it’s made and every few minutes. When you close it (Ctrl+W) or quit, you’re asked whether to save it first. Press Ctrl+S to save it there and then. Next time, the welcome window offers to Continue with it, or Load Company… for another. The console comes back as you left it, so you can scroll up to see what was going on.