You mean overall profitable? I just doubt it can cover the maintenance cost. If you're leasing the plane, ok. Otherwise, I do believe mt. cost far overshoot the earning. Correct me if I'm wrong, just a newcomer here... : ) , Anyway, a great game it is.
For a newcomer, you seem to have already understood what many, more seasoned players, don't...
Yes, I mean overall profitable. But you didn't qualify your question, so neither did I qualify my answer.
It is profitable for a very narrow range of planes (unlike IRL) and between (or from) a few select airports (like IRL).
In Real Life (IRL) you can have 747's going hourly between LHR and JFK and make a tidy profit. In AM, you can't. IRL you wouldn't dream of having direct flights between Pukatawagan (Canada, 2,410 pax) and LHR. In AM, some players get away with that. So, yes, AM diverges from reality in this respect, but maybe not as much as it may seem.
That's not to say I wouldn't want things to change. Stephen's work on maintenance overhaul certainly means good news coming our way. Maybe route pricing (along with LF determination) should also be given a look over.
Oh, and touching a little on Cheung's comments, you may yet discover that AM tends to get a little bit more realistic as worlds age. :wink:
Think about this: if LH and big planes are so great, then why so many (RL) starter airlines go with 737's or even ATR's on regional routes? On the other hand, as the game progresses, you will see short hops loosing appeal very, very fast. Longhaul remains mostly stable.