This question applies as much to FSX as it does to P3D but in the absence of a general forum I think this place probably gets more visitors.

Are moving jetways important to you? If you fly a passenger jet then I would hope they are. All part of the realism eh?

I'm asking because it seems most of my Aerosoft Mega Airports don't have them. I spent a while at Dublin yesterday trying to get them to work using CTRL+J. The ones provided in that package look very nice so it's not unrealistic to expect them to move. But try as I might I couldn't find any that would.

So I posted the question on the Aerosoft Mega Airports forum and Mathijs replied saying there weren't any for Dublin. That's down to the designer apparently. So why go to all the trouble of creating them if they serve no purpose? We have memory-hungry 3D grass for realism but not moving jetways. Hmmm.

But checking other airports supplied by FSDT, LatinVFR and UK2000 there are several jetways that respond to CTRL+J. Prices for those airports are similar to Aerosoft's so it can't be that difficult to make them.

Maybe Aerosoft have a vested interest mainly for FSX in them not moving. That way you are more likely to buy AES credits. I might be wrong but it's just a thought.

I asked Mathijs why they don't have moving jetways on many of the Mega Airport range and he said it's down to the developer. The way they attach to the fuselage can look quite bad sometimes which is why they don't bother. They are available for Heathrow Xtended. I'm not aware of any others but happy to be corrected.

Should they be standard on 3rd party airports? And would you not buy the airport if they were not included?

Most of the Orbx ones don't move either.

To answer your question and be quite frank, its not a feature I am interested in at all. I know many do like them and each to their own but I find them pointless. I would rather the developer spend more time on the buildings and surroundings etc. 

 

Not important 

Unless going for a fancy screenshot, to me they don't really matter that much and unless one parks the jet in exactly the right spot they can easily look a bit crap when they 'attach' to your jet. If other people like them, then great, but I'm more concerned with an overall accurate appearance of a payware airport than whether it has animated jetways, especially since I tend to like old bangers like the 727 and 737 that come with airstairs lol.

I personally like moving jetways. It's just like one of the exciting moments, when it disconnects. It's not important for flying, but still on FSX I can't have all eye candy, yet I still enjoy them. Then again that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it without. I also do like SODE jetways, because they allow much more flexibility and sometimes look very good (e.g.) Aerosoft Genoa)

I like them, to me it's part of any real world passenger flight so I like to see it happen in the sim.

Couldn't care less, certainly wouldn't stop me buying an addon scenery I wanted if it didn't have them.

I like them. Sometimes I forget to use them thou. No big deal.

I like them as well.  As an individual who would have likely gone into commercial aviation had it not been for my eyes, the closest I can get is through simulation.  While I fully understand the simulated implementation isn't real, it still adds to the overall immersion I desire as I try and simulate what real life operations would be like.  Great thing about simulation, there's something for all of us to enjoy in the way we'd like to.  Fortunately, there's no "right" or "wrong" way to enjoy this hobby.

Thanks for all your replies. So far it's 3 for and 4 against. Bit surprising given many of you might have paid for an expensive Airbus or Boeing.

Keep them coming. I'm just trying to judge how important they are to you. I'm not being judgemental. 

They are important to me as nearly all my flying is airline style.  The ctrl-J type is fine by me.....the SODE stuff can be a pain sometimes although I know it is supposed to be a much better alternative.  

3 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

So far it's 3 for and 4 against.

Add me to the "for" group. Having a bunch of AI without jetways attached just looks wrong to me.

I like having them. Simply due to trying to have as real as possible airliner flight.

I don't really care if AES quality or CTRL+J as usual with GSX, important thing is to have some degree of automation to be able to simulate the procedure.

i like them! i think it adds nicely to the immersion especially when using GSX or the turnaround vehicles with the pmdg747. while i'm waiting for the IRS to finish alignment or whatever i enjoy some nice external views to get in the vibe.

that being said, it's not that important to me in the grand scheme of things and it doesn't particularly influence my decision about buying an airport one way or another. for me the main factors have more to do with interesting destinations or approaches.

cheers,-andy crosby

I'm for, but more important for my aircraft than AI.  I can live without the AI, but it annoys me to be sitting at the gait and see the jetway not connected from the cockpit windows.