Find out why GSX passengers disappear when seated, when it is normal, and how to restore visible cabin passengers in supported MSFS aircraft.
GSX passengers usually disappear at the seat because the walking model has completed its boarding animation; it does not automatically become a seated cabin model. In FSX and Prepar3D this is normally expected. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, GSX Pro shows seated passengers only when the aircraft and its cabin configuration support that feature.
Is it normal for GSX passengers to vanish after boarding?
Yes—if GSX finishes boarding, reports the correct passenger count and continues to the next service, the disappearing models usually indicate normal behaviour rather than a failed boarding process.
Walking passengers and seated passengers are separate features. GSX can animate people through the jetway, stairs and cabin without keeping those same models visible during the flight. Our explanation of how GSX handles boarding and aircraft support covers that distinction in more detail.
Which GSX versions can show seated passengers?
Persistent seated passengers are mainly a GSX Pro feature for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and they still depend on the selected aircraft, cabin layout and configuration.
| GSX setup | Expected cabin behaviour |
|---|---|
| GSX in FSX or Prepar3D | Boarding passengers normally disappear after entering the aircraft; a populated cabin is not generally expected. |
| GSX Pro with an unsupported MSFS aircraft | Passengers may walk aboard but disappear instead of occupying seats. |
| GSX Pro with supported seated-passenger integration | Passengers can remain visible, subject to the aircraft variant, cabin model and GSX display settings. |
Even with a supported aircraft, the rendered population may be lower than the booked passenger total because density and performance settings can limit how many models appear. See our guide to GSX Pro cabin-passenger support in MSFS for the compatibility requirements.
How do I stop GSX passengers disappearing?
If the aircraft is meant to support seated passengers, check the configuration before treating the disappearance as a GSX fault.
- Let boarding finish. Check that the GSX passenger counter reaches its target and the boarding service completes. Models vanishing one by one at their assigned rows are different from the entire boarding operation suddenly resetting.
- Confirm aircraft support. Test the exact aircraft variant you are flying. Passenger, freighter, executive and third-party cabin variants may use different interiors even when they share the same exterior model.
- Enable seated passengers. Open the GSX settings and confirm that the seated- or cabin-passenger display option is enabled. The wording can differ between GSX builds, so avoid following an old guide solely by menu position.
- Check the cabin itself. The aircraft needs usable interior geometry and compatible seating information. Having a cabin camera does not by itself mean the aircraft supports occupied seats; our guide to cabin models and passenger visibility explains the difference.
- Test the intended GSX profile. Temporarily remove an obsolete custom profile or select the configuration supplied for that aircraft and livery. Incorrect door, aisle or cabin data can prevent the boarding animation from handing passengers over to seated models.
- Update both components. Apply available updates through the GSX installer and update the aircraft through its normal manager or installer. Seated-passenger support can require matching changes on both sides.
- Avoid two passenger systems at once. If the aircraft has its own cabin-population option, use either that system or GSX unless the developer explicitly supports combining them. Otherwise models may overlap, be hidden or change when the aircraft updates its payload state.
Will installing a GSX profile create seated passengers?
A GSX profile may provide the mappings required by a compatible aircraft, but it cannot add missing cabin geometry or make every aeroplane support seated models.
Profiles are most useful for correcting doors, service positions, boarding routes and aircraft-specific configuration. Follow our GSX profile installation and troubleshooting steps if passengers stop at the wrong door, walk through the fuselage or vanish before reaching the cabin.
What if every passenger disappears at the same time?
If all passengers vanish together and the GSX menu, service status or boarding count also resets, that is not the normal seating transition.
Reload the GSX session after the aircraft is stationary, then repeat boarding without changing aircraft or restarting the flight state midway through the process. If only the exterior view loses passengers while an interior camera still shows them, the cause is more likely aircraft-model visibility or simulator culling than GSX boarding logic.