Operations Desk

Live hub arrivals become SKYLINK Connection Flights

Network Operations → Operations Desk turns eligible passenger arrivals at LTAC and LTFM into bookable onward operations. Domestic and international arrivals are both eligible. Cargo, private/GA and Exclusive traffic do not create passenger demand.

Traffic with a still-maturing ETA remains in Planning · ETA Maturing. Eligible arrivals with close estimated on-block times are grouped in a stable 10-minute Arrival Bank. Filed POB is displayed as network-filed information; Connection Demand is a deterministic SKYLINK estimate and is never presented as a verified passenger manifest.

Destinations, demand and aircraft

Every bank ranks three meaningful destinations while excluding the origins of all inbound flights in that bank. The estimated transfer pool is divided into three independent destination-demand groups. Booking one destination does not consume or disable the other two groups; each remains bookable until its own closing time, subject to aircraft and route-slot availability.

The pilot chooses an available SKYLINK passenger aircraft located at the departure hub. Cargo, pilot-owned and Exclusive/GA aircraft are excluded. Connection passengers target 50%, 65% or 75% of capacity according to the number of feeders and available demand. SKYLINK-origin passengers may fill the remaining cabin, normally producing a total load between 75% and 95% without exceeding capacity.

Booking freezes inbound callsigns, airline names, pilot VIDs, origins, ETAs, allocated Connection PAX, transfer time, report deadline, ETD, aircraft and final passenger-source breakdown. The same operational summary is sent to SimBrief Dispatch Remarks and retained for Live Flights and Flight Replay.

BE ONLINE BEFORE and booking closure

The binding report time is the earlier of 30 minutes before ETD or 10 minutes before the first inbound ETA, rounded down to the previous 5-minute UTC boundary. A division-local tooltip is shown where the pilot's IVAO division can be mapped to a timezone.

The homepage marks an opportunity CLOSING SOON at 15 minutes, CLOSING at 10 minutes and CLOSED at 5 minutes before the report time. Server-side booking closes at the same five-minute boundary. A booked pilot has a configurable 1–3 minute verification grace, currently 3 minutes, for the correct VID, callsign and route to appear in live network evidence.

The signed-in homepage shows the nearest genuine opportunities in a two-column layout: normally two to six, and one to eight during the quiet 21:00Z–09:00Z period. Cards identify the SKYLINK Departure Airport, separate destination demand and BE ONLINE BEFORE time, then link to Operations Desk for booking.

Arrival, transfer and inbound continuity

Landing alone does not make Connection passengers ready. SKYLINK distinguishes approach, landing, taxi and on-block using recorded network state, hub proximity, ground movement and verified airport stands. Every allocated inbound must reach on-block, then complete the configured transfer time—normally 25 minutes.

A terminal disconnect may infer on-block only when retained ground movement and proximity evidence support it. An airborne inbound receives a 10-minute reconnect window. If contact does not return, its passengers are released and replaced by SKYLINK-origin demand. This is recorded as a Network Exception and is not treated as pilot fault.

Connection outcomes

• Pending: the report, inbound or transfer evidence is not yet complete.
• On Going: report, transfer and takeoff evidence are valid, but the SKYLINK flight has not yet completed at destination.
• Succeeded: the flight completed at the planned destination after valid Connection evidence.
• Failed: the report deadline was missed, departure occurred before on-block/transfer readiness, the outbound went offline without a recorded takeoff, or the flight ended without verified completion.
• Network Exception: unavailable inbound network evidence released all Connection passengers; the outbound pilot met the operation and is not penalized.

A late takeoff is not automatically failed when the outbound remains online and is visibly awaiting airport or ATC release. The operation stays On Going until the flight is completed; takeoff alone never creates a permanent success.

Rewards, penalties and records

A successful Connection pays 25% additional LINX and 20% additional XP once, after completion. Destination-specific Connection PAX still adds a small frozen LINX amount to the booking calculation, but it is deliberately not shown beside passenger demand so it cannot be confused with the passenger distribution. Stand rewards remain independent.

A failed Connection receives no Connection bonus and is assessed a LINX penalty equal to 20% of the expected flight LINX. The assessment is written to the Ledger. If the balance is insufficient, the full amount remains pending and is collected automatically when sufficient LINX becomes available. Network Exceptions do not create this penalty.

My Connection Results retains the pilot's recent outcomes. Network Operations → Operations Results provides the permanent, filterable archive for all pilots, including outbound identity, reason, reward or penalty state and the frozen inbound manifest.

Connection badges

Successful outcomes unlock Connection Coordinator at 10, Network Conductor at 25, Hub Architect at 50 and Connection Maestro at 100. Only the highest earned tier remains on the Pilot Passport.

Flight Replay evidence

For a Connection Flight, allocated inbound aircraft are recorded during their final 20 NM at a rate-limited interval. Flight Replay can display those aircraft on the same map with callsign and heading so the arriving traffic that fed the operation can be understood in time and space. The manifest separately lists airline, callsign, origin airport, ETA, Connection PAX, pilot VID, on-block state and detected stand where available.

Aircraft Return Flights

A successful Network Operation that leaves a SKYLINK passenger aircraft outside its assigned LTAC/LTFM/LSZH home hub creates a direct Aircraft Return Flight from the verified current airport to that home hub. The source pilot has 30-minute priority. After that, another pilot may book it. If positioning is required, the pilot sees the Credit cost first; missing Credits are purchased automatically with LINX only after confirmation and every movement is written to the Ledger.

A same-pilot return within six hours earns +20% LINX / +25% XP; a standard return earns +15% LINX / +20% XP; a return that has been open for 24 hours earns +25% LINX / +30% XP. Unbooked available aircraft still have the 14-day automatic home-hub safety net.

Successful Aircraft Return Flights unlock Homebound Wing at 10, Rotation Keeper at 25, Fleet Shepherd at 50 and Hangar Legend at 100. Only the highest badge tier remains; its XP percentage replaces rather than stacks with the previous tier.

HUB Passenger Fleet Safeguard

LTAC, LTFM and LSZH must each retain at least two operational, HUB-assigned SKYLINK Airlines passenger aircraft. If the count falls below two, Latest Updates announces a 24-hour pilot recovery window and the requirement to restore a three-aircraft operating reserve. Eligible Aircraft Home Base Return Flights to the affected HUB earn 2x LINX and 2x XP during that window.

If the HUB still has fewer than three operational passenger aircraft when the 24-hour window ends, Fleet Control automatically returns one eligible idle aircraft to its assigned home HUB every six hours until the three-aircraft reserve is restored. Personal, third-party, cargo, Exclusive, maintenance, grounded, booked and active aircraft are excluded from the balance and automatic transfer pool. Restoring the reserve closes the incident and temporary 2x incentive.

LSZH international Connection policy

LSZH replaces EDDF as SKYLINK's third official HUB. Unlike LTAC and LTFM, LSZH does not create domestic Connections: only international inbound passenger flights may supply Connection PAX. Onward airports must be active in the SKYLINK Airport database, have a known country outside Switzerland and lie between 150 NM and the dynamically calculated LSZH–LTFM great-circle reference distance (currently about 940 NM).

HUB destination mix

Every LTAC Connection Window offers three domestic destinations. LTFM offers two domestic and one international destination only when at least one inbound originated at a Turkish airport; otherwise all three LTFM suggestions are domestic. All suggestions must be active airports in the SKYLINK database, and every airport represented as an inbound origin in the same Connection Window is excluded.