Donated to the Museum in 1982, this map game was produced by the Avalon Hill Company of Baltimore, Maryland in 1961, serial number 511.
The game is for 2 to 4 players. Each player is the manager of an Airline and during the play of the game, each player attempts to build his airline into the foremost airline. At the time the game was manufactured, each player managed one of the then major United States airlines:
The game board (35.1cm x 55.6cm x .2cm) is a stylized map of the United States. Eighteen cities are marked on the map with a red star. Around each city are the four symbols representing each of the four airlines.
Play involves the use of paper money in the following denominations: $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, $50,000 and yellow cardboard "Route Cards". Each card indicates flights between cities. Players have small cardboard counters for placement on the board. There are 30 "super-jets" and 60 "prop-jets".
In addition to these playing pieces, there are large "Command Charts" (upper left in the photograph) on which the players write their management assignments. The charts also indicate the cost for each assignment. The winner of course controls the air lanes and has enough money to operate the airline.
Last update March 23, 2010