New Airport Names

[Trans Global Airlines]

Hi everyone,

I know it has already been discussed, but I decided to start a new topic as the situation is gettin problematic and confusing.

Is there any LOGICAL reason for changing the airport name from the name of the city(served)  into an official aerodrome name? I have just logged int a new world and noticed that really numerous airports names have just been changed , i.e.:
Milan Linate --> Linate
Athens --> El Venizelos
Riyadh --> King Khaled International
Jeddah --> king Abdulaziz
Rome Fiumicino --> Leonardo Da Vinci

In my opinion  it is getting:
1. confusing, when searching/creating a route, as lots of airports lack the name of the city it is serving (Rome)
2. unrealistic - does anyone flying in real world the NAP-HER route, says:"I'm flying the Capodichino-N.Kazantzakis sector tomorrow? obviously not
3. difficult to cope and remember -many of these names are completely unknown for foreigners,espacially from antoher continent
4. crazy

I know most of the 3-litter IATA codes, so this is the only way I am dealing with this issue right now. if the game was to get more difficult, why not delete all airports or countries names and leave just the 4-litter ICAO codes??
i just do not see any reason for changing this issue.

please, at least give us a possibility to chose between official aerodromes names and airport names used in OAG or any timetable.

Iam also wondering what are another players' opinons.

brgds,

Alex
Trans Global Airlines
id.941

[iranair777]

Its not changing from city name to airport name. Its changing from airport name to city name 

I'm a little confused with the way airport names are showing up in different parts of the game, so was just wondering whether this is a work-in-progress or whether I should be flagging up when strange things are happening?

For instance, if you go to the View Gates screen then Beirut comes up as Beirut International Airport, which is also the only name used for it when you click into that airport.  However, in the View Routes screen my service to BEY from Zurich says Rafic Hariri International and has no mention of Beirut anywhere (I thought I was losing the plot when trying to find the Beirut flight so I could switch the aircraft on it).  A similar issue comes up with Athens, which shows as just Athens in the View Gates screen but as El.Venizelos International in View Routes.

Is this something that will change in due course?  If not will it be possible for the View Routes screen to show the city name rather than the airport name (to avoid getting the likes of Glen Burnie - Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal Airport showing up - being based there would be a nightmare)?  Perhaps the city name followed by the IATA code, such as London LGW, Baltimore BWI, Shanghai PVG etc.?

As a final aside, my home base in PW#529 seems to vary between Zurich and Zürich Airport - will this in future show up as Zurich Zürich Airport? Wink

Reply to that by mods:

This is a work in progress. We are researching the location of the airports and updating the airport names to their official names. When the work is done, the city and the name will be seperated. We are still considering how to show those, but hopefully, we would be able to build int several options for our players to choose from.

[DarkPet]

I guess (I really hope) there will be another column added with appropriate city names so we will be able to search/sort by both of city and airport names.

[Trans Global Airlines]

Its not changing from city name to airport name. Its changing from airport name to city name 

Not sure what you mean..Can you please explain it a bit more?

[dktc]

Basically, we now have two columns in the database, the city name and the airport name. At this time, we are only showing the airport name, because that was the setting, and because we have not yet updated all the airports. The majority of the database has been updated, but there are still a few large countries that needs to be researched.

After the research is done, the code will be modified to show city name and airport name. We have also envisioned an option for the players to choose between both, or either one.

As you have said, this has been discussed, and this answer is final. Typing this post cut into the research time for 3 minutes in real time spents, and another significant amount for a drop in my mood, which is quite unfortunate.

[XeniaAirways]

Basically, we now have two columns in the database, the city name and the airport name. At this time, we are only showing the airport name, because that was the setting, and because we have not yet updated all the airports. The majority of the database has been updated, but there are still a few large countries that needs to be researched.

After the research is done, the code will be modified to show city name and airport name. We have also envisioned an option for the players to choose between both, or either one.

As you have said, this has been discussed, and this answer is final. Typing this post cut into the research time for 3 minutes in real time spents, and another significant amount for a drop in my mood, which is quite unfortunate.

In the future, in order to save your precious 3 minutes of real time and your attitude towards the players, it might help to put out a bulletin just to let everyone know.  If you'll try to put yourself into the feet of the players (which, may I remind you, are the source of your revenue to fund this game and keep this game free -- yay!), think of the precious minutes we spent pulling our hair out trying to figure out why "Atlanta" wouldn't show up in the route creation screen (because it got changed to "Hartsfield Atlanta").  Like Trans Global Airlines, I too have memorized most of the IATA codes for the airports I fly to... and the gate search feature takes care of the other places I don't know the codes for.  However, the route creation screen forces players to select cities from a drop-down menu... which conveniently omits those handy-dandy IATA codes and shows only the airport name.  Perhaps that's an additional feature for the future... allow users to type in the IATA code for route creation!

You don't have to reply to this... I don't want to take any more of your precious time... and you can save your rebuking for later.

[dktc]

You need to understand one thing; we want to get things done as quickly as you all want. It is also frustrating for us that we can't get things done as quickly as we would want.

If you have tried to find the official sources for the city names for 3300+ airports in game, from some 150~200 countries, involving dozens of different languages and plenty of stupid, useless, or broken official websites, you would get irritated as well. I agree that my attitude was not what it should be in the previous post. However, sometimes when our "customers" need to be "educated", we would have to tell them the truth. If they cannot face that truth, then there is nothing we could do. Are customers always right? My professors say no. Are they always the king? They only think they are.

This is the fourth topic concerning the same issue this past two weeks. So far, Xenia, you are the only one that has come up with anything near a constructive suggestion. As we have mentioned many times before, whining and complaining are counter-productive. Now, if you would stand in our shoes, a little ranting is not a crime that is worth getting executed, is it? You all have ranted so many times, isn't it fair for us to get a little bit of the same thing out of our system? At the very least, we are not cursing you (and your relatives) to death behind your back, or to be vengeful and give you something not quite what you want, like we would do in the back in a real life luxury hotel. That is the truth in the so-called "customer service " industry.

We are not enemies here. We are working towards the same goal, which is to improve the game. When we have complains, we listen. However, something that is answered is answered. If you have read our answer in a very near past, like Trans Global has, the decision is not likely to be revised. If you have some new input, that is valued, but if you only repeat what others have said, and what has been addressed, that is simply repetitive. As I was discussing with some players in IRC yesterday, one could protest against anything, with or without reasons. However, whether that protest would yield anything (other than bloodsheds / violence), is doubtful.

Now that I have gotten that out of my system, I will get back to my volunteer work for AM, of which I am not receiving any $$.

[Trans Global Airlines]

After the research is done, the code will be modified to show city name and airport name. We have also envisioned an option for the players to choose between both, or either one.

As you have said, this has been discussed, and this answer is final. Typing this post cut into the research time for 3 minutes in real time spents, and another significant amount for a drop in my mood, which is quite unfortunate.

The answer is OK and it is final for me.
Now, the thing that I cannot understand,is the attitude in your post replying to Xenia.
"whining and complaining are counter-productive. Now, if you would stand in our shoes, a little ranting is not a crime that is worth getting executed, is it?" - Obviously - it is not, and obviously yo do not have to reply to any post that cause "a significiant drop in your  mood".
My id is 941 and I have been constantly playing this game from mid 2007. I posted it, as I found this element getting me more and more angry and confusing, and to cause some discussion - this is what this forum is for, right? I decide to post a complain/problem report only when it is affectin my game in a significiant way.
If,as you stated, "This is the fourth topic concerning the same issue this past two weeks.", then it does obviously suggest that this problem is affecting the game.
Let's stop the disicussion here, I wrote it to clear the situation and clarify me reason for posting.

If you have any problems with finding some data on offical websites in the future-let the players know. Post an info, just like you did "donate AM with some photos" and as the players are from all over the world, I'm sure you get help. In "real" I have been an airport employee for six years, so  I can provide you with some official info  I have  access to, whenever it is needed 

brgds,
alex.

[dktc]

We know it is affecting the game and we are working on it. It takes time to get things done.

If you were on IRC you would know that I have been working frantically with help of some regulars on the chat to take care of this. That however, does not change the fact that everything takes time and every change affects the game.

If you want to help, please start with the locations for our 43 airports in French Polynesian, and then move onto Congos, Comoron, Ethiopia, Senegal, Somania, and Zimbabwe. Email us at with the official source included, and a translation to english if the source is not in english.

[Severnaya]

Hi everyone

hello

I know it has already been discussed, but I decided to start a new topic as the situation is gettin problematic and confusing.

Well not more problematic than it was when the other threads were opened, so i think there is very few sence in opening a new topic.

please, at least give us a possibility to chose between official aerodromes names and airport names used in OAG or any timetable.

At the moment the process is under way to give all players the choice between airport name and city name, so please stop complaining, checking thousands of airports by volunteers takes time you know?

Iam also wondering what are another players' opinons.

Above is my opinion. And please don't complain anymore, but help finding  those airports asked by Dktc, or come forward with constructive suggestions.

[dktc]

If you want to help, please start with the locations for our 43 airports in French Polynesian, and then move onto Congos, Comoron, Ethiopia, Senegal, Somania, and Zimbabwe. Email us at with the official sources included, and a translation to english if the source is not in english.

We need help with Japan as well, in addition to the above... which I am still waiting on...(shall I assume that no one is helping? )
Once again, we need the official airport name in english, the name of the city where the airport is located / serving, and the official pax and cargo data for 2008. Include the source(s) with the data, and translate the source(s) to english when needed.

[Trans Global Airlines]

Hi,
I have just sent you an email with airports in Senegal, Zimbabwe and Cameroon. check if you got it - I had some problems with sending all the attachments.