Judge completed operations over a consistent period

This tutorial is about flyLAT credits. Revenue, profit and cash balance answer different questions. A busy route can generate revenue while leaving too little to cover the airline's other commitments.

1. Choose the route and review period

Open Routes and note the route ID and both directions. Choose a period long enough to include several completed outbound and return flights. Keep the same dates when reviewing company flight logs and Finances.

For a new schedule, start the review after flights actually begin. Days waiting for publication to become active are not completed operating days.

2. Confirm what actually flew

  1. Find completed flight records for the airport pair and aircraft.
  2. Separate outbound and inbound results so one direction cannot hide the other's weakness.
  3. Count completed flights, not planned blocks.
  4. Note cancellations, missing results, transfers and maintenance downtime separately.

Resolve incomplete records before treating them as a final financial result. If flights did not operate, use the scheduled-flight troubleshooting guide.

3. Match income and costs

Use recorded amounts where available. Match flight income and directly associated operating charges by date and record identifiers. Then allow for continuing commitments such as lease payments, pilot pay and maintenance. Shared company costs may need your own reasonable allocation; do not assume the Finance company total is a route-only profit figure.

A useful review has four columns: flight or date, recorded income, attributable costs, and notes. Mark estimates clearly. Keep aircraft purchase spending separate from a recurring operating comparison, while including it in your cash and expansion budget.

4. Work through an example

Illustration only: suppose a group of completed flights earns 120,000 Cr and its directly attributable costs total 80,000 Cr. That leaves 40,000 Cr before shared costs and reserves. If you allow 15,000 Cr for those, the planning surplus is 25,000 Cr. These are example numbers, not flyLAT rates or guaranteed margins.

Divide comparable results by completed flights or operating days to compare periods of different lengths. Avoid counting a maintenance charge twice if it is already included in your cost total.

5. Make one change and review again

  • Keep: completed flights support their costs and the operation is reliable.
  • Adjust: investigate aircraft suitability, weak direction results, downtime or expensive repositioning before adding frequency.
  • Expand: consider additional flying only when the present operation works and cash can support it.

Change one major factor at a time and compare another similar period. More routes can diversify income, but every added route still needs suitable aircraft, a workable timetable and a cost review.

Before buying another aircraft

Check today's available cash separately from this period's result. Reserve enough for existing payments, maintenance and operating costs. Continue with expanding to a small fleet and the finance guide.