Having now had the chance to build remote stands, I thought I’d share my thoughts about them.
They are BRILLIANT. Thank you @Olof and @Fredrik and the voting community that got them through. I know there are quite a few that really wanted to see Remotes implemented. Myself included.
So, I tried to run them like normal jetway connections, that was a big fail, traffic jams, lack of ramp agents and everything else just caused soooooo many issues. I like to try and balance things in my builds as some of you know and have seen the spreadsheets. On a jetway connected stand with 24 hours of time available I expect to get a clear five flight a day from each of those stands.
With remote, right now, for me personally I’m thinking three (looking to push it to four) flights a day is max. And I’m okay with that. Remote stands need more work, time and organisation from running your airport. With the prospect too they can be set as delay points for stands that are blocked too, that’s an even better situation from my perspective. I’m okay with that as well. Remotes should be there to expand your airports, and I know I will be, just don’t expect the same throughput as jetway connected ones. That is impractical from my builds.
Also, your milage might vary. Everyone builds their own airports to their own style and you might have cracked remotes to operate perfectly. Share your secrets so I can too.
TL, DR, Remote stands are most excellent, just don’t try and run them like walkway connected stands and you’ll be fine. Unless anyone knows how to solve traffic jams?
I 100% agree with Rubble, remote stands were implemented perfectly. They work perfect, they act perfect, they give the feeling of “airport tycoon and management game” genre perfect.
Olof and Fredrik you guys are just made a huge step to the AirportCEO. The rival companies will become green with envy
About delays with groud vehicles, when “ACEO-5268 ⁃ Implement ability to assign certain vehicles to a certain stand” is implemented that issue will be solved.
But I wonder how it will work and I also wonder something like “assign vehicle depots to stands” would be possible. Then I can build a service car depot right near service car stop, another depot on remote stand with stairs truck, apron bus, belt loader, some belt trucks, pushback truck (of course many depots like this for every stand areas) and another depot near fuel farm with tankers. In future, catering truck depot near catering facility, cleaning vehicle depot (probably service car depot will be used) near service car stop, de-ice truck depot near de-ice parking stand near runway.
And I agree with you guys! The devs did an amazing job with the remote stands! It really adds a complete new way of handling your airport, I also started an airport solely with remote stands, just because I can
But I wonder how it will work and I also wonder something like “assign vehicle depots to stands” would be possible.
This is already possible now . Go to the ‘vehicles’ menu in the right screen menu and assign the vehicle to the depot near the stand you want it to be. If ACEO-5268 will be implemented you can also assign the vehicle to the stand and voila full working system!
Assigning a vehicle to a stand and depot will help you operate a large(r) airport. I agree that if you have enough vehicles it should be ok, but if you have a large airport they can have to travel long distances to a designated stand. The vehicle path finding system and assigning system is not (yet) that sophisticated or intelligent to understand that if a vehicle is in a depot next to a stand, that it is the best option to go to that stand for that specific vehicle in that depot. It could be the case that a vehicle on the complete other side of the airport is assigned and then needs to travel a long distance causing delays, hence the option to assign vehicles to stands
A depot can handle much more vehicles than only the ones you want to assign to a stand, so single assignment is much more granular. Would be great though to have a bulk change option in the game, so we can select multiple vehicles and assign those at once. Just checked and there doesn’t seem to be a feature request for that yet, will add it.
Also vehicle depots cannot be connected to stands only. They can be connected to service car stop, apron bus stop, cargo bay, fuel depots, long to short any object that has a relation with ground vehicles.
@Puma
You mean, that if I’m not assign vehicle with stand, but assign depot(or I have only 1 depot) - it’s mean, that all vehicles from this depot will be handle this stand?
For depot, I think, can be done assigned system like in cargo bay, when you can choose many stands for it. But also, must be possible to assign 2 depots to 1 stand. It can be needed, when you have special depot for fuel trucks. for example.
@EG0611
If depot connect to stand, which also connected to cargo bay / service car stop / shuttle bus stop, it’s means, that this depot will work with this objects too.
For example belt trucks, unloading belt truck will go to stand from stand assigned depot but while, loading belt truck will go to cargo bay from cargo bay assigned depot.
Same for busses, for unloading PAX, stand assigned depot will be used but for loading, bus stop assigned bus will be used.
Of course these will be primary sources of vehicles. If a depot doesn’t have these vehicles, another vehicle from another depot can be used.
We talk about one things, but using different words
It will be a big system. Let see, how it will be done. DevTeam can have other view for this system.
@Olaf and @Fredrik you guys did an amazing job! I was thinking it would be great to have a little different gate set up for the bus gates. What do you think about a pre boarding zone? Like a little fenced area behind the gate desk.
About arriving pax (bus gates) I think it would be great to have a separate drop off for all buses where the pax get into the terminal and not via the departure gate.
with remote stands, in my opinion there is something getting more important as well. Vehicles should be ordered to a stand as soon as the apron gets some kind of flag for an incoming aircraft. On real airport, many service vehicles are already waiting at a stand, when the aircraft is still on the taxiway.
Respectively to assigning vehicles to a certain stand, there should not only one stand you can assign them to, but maybe a small group of them…anything other would just result many more needed vehicles, each vehicle would only be able to serve one apron.
It would make more sense to improve path finding and efficiency instead of doing work arounds …
With vehicles bound to stands you need at least one for each. With a more improved system you can share verhicles for multiple stands and can save some without loss. Guess that’s the way how it works in real life too.
Of course, we are still in development and progression needs time.
Did my first test today with remote stands. I really like how they are implemented. Sure there are a few things that could be tweaked to really nail it, but IMO this was executed very well. I have renewed faith for the one feature that was voted on I really want, multifloor.
The devs did an amazing job with the remote stands! It really adds a complete new way of handling your airport, I also started an airport solely with remote stands, just because I can 
. Go to the ‘vehicles’ menu in the right screen menu and assign the vehicle to the depot near the stand you want it to be. If ACEO-5268 will be implemented you can also assign the vehicle to the stand and voila full working system!
