Hello, Theod here. I’d like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the Infinite Flight staff for hosting the IF48 series. Judging by the traffic on Infinite View as of 15:30 UTC (25/10), it’s clear that many users are enjoying this event as well. Just look at the amount of the transatlantic traffic, it’s insane!
Aside from the popularity of the featured airports among Infinite Flight users, I believe the enthusiasm for this event can also be attributed to the flexibility it offers. With the four featured airports (EGLL, LFPG, KEWR, and KJFK), users can choose between long-haul flights (most notably to and from KJFK and EGLL), medium-haul transatlantic flights connecting the four hubs, or even short-haul routes such as the busy corridor between LFPG and EGLL.
Based on this, I think it would be a great idea for future iterations of the IF48 series to maintain this kind of flexibility by connecting two distant regions for 48 hours. Taking inspiration from the two front-runners in the latest IF48 poll, we could feature both Southeast Asia and the Middle East simultaneously, instead of selecting only one region with the most votes. There’s already substantial real-world traffic between these regions, with major carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airlines operating numerous daily flights. Both regions also boast major hubs that could generate plenty of traffic (both WSSS and OMDB come to mind in this respect).
By offering 48-hour operations between two regions, users could enjoy the flexibility of choosing between short, medium, or long-haul flights within and between the featured hubs. To help concentrate traffic, we could feature two or three large airports in each region (similar to today’s setup). This approach would help distinguish the IF48 event from the regular ATC schedule (which often concentrates in one geographical region), generate excitement for future editions, and encourage greater participation.
To conclude, I would like to thank you for reading this suggestion. Hopefully, the discussion that follows can inspire new ideas to make this fantastic event even better!