The game begins in 1946, after the Second World War. Using default settings, the player controls the airline "Air Bucks" with three AI competitors; all are based in the city of Miami. Each player purchases landing rights for a surrounding airport not more than 1,000 miles away, as the only plane available at the beginning (the Douglas DC-3) has a range of 1,000 miles. Usually the first landing rights purchased are in either New York or Washington D.C. Aside from the initial base airport (Miami by default, but customizable) only two airlines can have landing rights to any one airport.