What are MSFS virtual airlines and how do you join one?

An MSFS virtual airline (VA) is an independent, player-run organisation that adds scheduled routes, fleets, ranks and logged pilot reports to Microsoft Flight Simulator. To join one, find a VA supporting your MSFS edition and platform, check its rules, register externally, then complete a flight using its approved tracking or reporting method.

What is a virtual airline in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A virtual airline is a community operation layered around Microsoft Flight Simulator rather than software built into the simulator. It may recreate a real carrier or operate a fictional fleet, but it is normally independent of Microsoft and any real airline whose branding it uses.

Most VAs provide some combination of:

• Published routes, schedules and flight numbers
• Approved aircraft types and fleet assignments
• Pilot ranks, hours, awards and internal qualifications
• Dispatch information and operating procedures
• Group flights, training and online ATC events
• Optional liveries carrying the virtual airline’s colours

These ranks and qualifications have no real-world validity. A VA does not employ its members, provide a pilot licence or unlock aircraft in MSFS. Our detailed explanation of VA operations and flight logging covers how larger organisations structure hubs, fleets and pilot progression.

Is a virtual airline a game or part of MSFS Career mode?

An MSFS virtual airline is not a separate virtual airline game and is not part of MSFS 2024 Career mode. Career progress and company management remain inside the simulator; VA hours, bookings and ranks are stored by the independent organisation.

VA flying is also separate from ordinary MSFS multiplayer, although a group may organise shared flights using multiplayer or an online ATC network. If you are looking for a My Virtual Airline dashboard, it will be in the organisation’s member portal, not in your Microsoft, Xbox or PlayStation profile.

How are virtual-airline flights logged?

Most virtual-airline flights follow the same sequence: book a route, fly it under the VA’s rules and submit a PIREP, meaning pilot report. The report lets the organisation credit your hours and check that the sector met its requirements.

On PC, many VAs use a flight-tracking program commonly called an ACARS client. In this context, ACARS is often community shorthand for an external logger rather than the aircraft’s real communications system. Depending on the client, it may record:

• Departure and arrival airports
• Off-block, take-off, landing and on-block times
• Aircraft type, route, altitude and fuel use
• Landing data and major flight events
• Use of slew, time acceleration or repositioning

Other groups accept a manual PIREP entered after landing. Manual reporting is particularly important for console pilots, who cannot install a Windows flight tracker. The VA decides which method is valid; a handwritten report is not automatically accepted just because the flight appears in the MSFS logbook.

Do virtual airlines work with MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020?

Virtual airlines can support both MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020, but simulator support does not guarantee support for every platform or logging client.

PC provides the widest compatibility because it can run external trackers and install conventional livery packages. Simulator updates can temporarily break a tracker, so confirm that it detects the simulator before beginning a long sector. Console users should follow the MSFS 2024 joining and console-compatibility checklist before choosing a VA.

How do you join a virtual airline in MSFS?

You join a virtual airline through the organisation’s registration system, not through a menu inside Microsoft Flight Simulator.

1. Choose an operating style. Decide whether you want casual route freedom, scheduled airline procedures, cargo operations, charter flying or regular online ATC.
2. Confirm exact compatibility. Check the supported simulator edition, platform, aircraft and reporting method. Console support must be stated clearly if the VA normally uses a PC tracker.
3. Read the membership rules. Look for minimum activity, age or language requirements, inactivity deadlines, entrance checks, route restrictions, time-compression rules and mandatory online events.
4. Create a pilot account. You may need to select a hub, base or division. The resulting pilot ID is separate from your Microsoft account, gamertag, PlayStation ID and online-network callsign.
5. Set up the approved logger. PC pilots should obtain it from the organisation’s authorised source and test that it displays live simulator data. Never give a VA tracker your Microsoft account password.
6. Book an eligible sector. Copy the assigned flight number, airports and exact aircraft variant. A different variant can be treated as the wrong fleet type even when it wears the right livery.
7. Record the complete flight. Start the tracker at the point required by the rules, often before pushback or engine start. Finish at the destination gate, submit the PIREP and check that it was accepted.

Do you need previous flying experience?

Many virtual airlines accept beginners, but entry and progression rules vary. Some start every new member at the lowest rank, while others allow transferred hours, an entrance quiz or a practical check. Hours in the MSFS logbook are not automatically recognised unless the VA says they are.

Which type of MSFS virtual airline should you choose?

Choose a VA according to its rules and platform support, not simply its airline name, livery or advertised fleet size. A mistake we see constantly is joining first and discovering later that the flight logger, activity policy or required aircraft does not fit the pilot’s setup.

Check the inactivity limit, event time zone, permitted assistance settings, route availability at entry rank and the process for appealing a rejected report. Membership is normally free, but mandatory paid aircraft or scenery still creates a practical cost. Our comparison criteria for choosing a suitable virtual airline can help narrow the options without relying on fleet size alone.

Do virtual airlines provide aircraft and liveries?

Virtual airlines usually assign aircraft rather than provide the complete aircraft add-on. You must already have a compatible default, freeware or paid model unless the organisation explicitly supplies one it is permitted to distribute.

A VA may provide a livery, but a livery is only a paint scheme. It must match the exact aircraft developer, model and variant; a paint made for one version of an airliner will not necessarily load on another. Conventional PC livery packages also cannot simply be installed on Xbox or PlayStation.

Do not buy an aircraft solely because it appears in a VA fleet list. Confirm that new pilots may use it, that your platform has the required version and that the tracker recognises it.

Do you need VATSIM or IVAO to join?

You need VATSIM or IVAO only when the virtual airline’s rules require online ATC or when you choose to join one of its network events. Many VAs accept flights made offline or with the simulator’s own traffic and ATC features.

Network membership, pilot software and callsign rules are separate from VA membership. A booked flight number, VA pilot ID and ATC callsign may not be interchangeable. PC pilots facing a network requirement can use our MSFS connection steps for VATSIM and IVAO; console pilots should verify the full setup before joining a VA that mandates a desktop network client.

Why was your first virtual-airline flight rejected?

A first PIREP is usually rejected because the booking, aircraft or recorded telemetry does not match the VA’s rules. Check the stated rejection reason and tracker log before repeating the entire flight.

• Wrong flight number or callsign: copy the booked values exactly and check whether the VA distinguishes its internal flight number from an online ATC callsign.
• Expired or ineligible booking: confirm that the route is still active and available to your pilot rank.
• Tracker started too late: connect before pushback or engine start when gate-to-gate recording is required.
• No live simulator connection: verify at the departure gate that the logger shows the correct aircraft and airport. An unsupported client or security software can prevent telemetry from reaching it.
• Aircraft mismatch: check the exact variant or type code, not just the livery and general aircraft family.
• Wrong airport: use the booked departure and destination identifiers, especially where several airports serve the same city.
• Disallowed simulator assistance: slew, teleporting, time acceleration, mid-flight repositioning or unlimited refuelling may invalidate the report.
• Flight ended too early: some trackers require arrival at a gate, parking brakes set and engines shut down before they offer a valid completion option.
• Crash or internet interruption: recovery rules differ. Some VAs accept a manual report with supporting details; others require the sector to be flown again.

If the data is correct but the report was rejected automatically, use the organisation’s stated review process rather than altering the report or submitting duplicates. That preserves the original telemetry and gives staff enough information to diagnose the problem.