Incorrect Skill Stars Ranking – Request GI to Recalculate

[DarekK]

I've sent this message to GI support:

Hello Airport City Support Team,
I have been playing Airport City for many years and I really enjoy the game and all time‑limited events. However, I have noticed a serious problem with the skill stars ranking that makes the game unfair for long‑term players.
In my profile I currently have:
• 532 Expert destinations
• 2 Master destinations
• 3 Specialist destinations
This gives a total of 1608 skill stars (532 × 3 + 2 × 2 + 3 × 1), which exactly matches the number of stars shown on my main game screen. I have participated in all events and, as far as I know, there have never been more than 537 different destinations in total. Therefore, the absolute maximum number of skill stars that any player could legitimately obtain under the old system is strictly limited.
The issue appears in the neighbors list and global rankings. Many players who started the game earlier than I did show more than 2000 skill stars, even though such a number is impossible with the total number of available destinations. This strongly suggests that in the past the game incorrectly summed stars for some accounts (probably due to old bugs), and these wrong values were never corrected. As a result, the skill stars ranking is no longer accurate or fair.
Today a new version of Airport City was released, which changed the skill system: each destination for planes can now give up to 5 skill stars instead of the previous maximum of 3. To get the 4th and 5th star you need to complete a very large number of flights to a given destination. Unfortunately, the game does not take into account the flights that were already completed before the update. The system simply starts from the current 3 stars and ignores all previously accumulated flights, even if the total number shown in the “total flights” counter would already be enough to receive 4 or 5 stars.
For example, on one of my destinations - Macau I have already completed about 18,400 flights (this value is displayed in the game in the total flights counter for that route - All-time statistics), which should clearly be enough to reach 5 stars with the new thresholds. However, after the update I still have only 3 stars on this destination and the game requires me to perform thousands of additional flights to unlock the missing 2 stars.
This creates two major unfair situations for long‑term players:
• In the past, some players received more stars than were actually possible due to bugs in the system.
• Now, with the new 5‑star system, honest flights made over many years are ignored and do not count towards the new stars.
In addition, I would like to emphasize that you already have all the necessary data on your servers to correct this situation. For every player and every destination, the game stores the exact number of flights performed over the years. Based on these existing databases, you could immediately prepare and run an algorithm that:
• recalculates the correct number of skill stars for each destination and each player (including the new 4th and 5th stars), using the real number of flights already performed, and
• updates the total skill stars value and rankings so that they reflect players’ actual in‑game activity and effort.
This would correct both historical errors and the new problem introduced with the 5‑star system and would restore a fair competitive environment for everyone. Players would once again be able to compete on equal terms, knowing that all stars and rankings are based only on real, legitimately completed flights.
I attach screenshots showing:
1. My profile with the detailed number of Expert/Master/Specialist destinations,
2. The neighbors list where you can see players with more than 2000 stars.
3. Macau flight information board
Could you please forward this report to the development team and let me know if you plan to:
1. Recalculate the total number of skill stars for all players based on their real per‑destination progress, and
2. Recalculate the new 4th and 5th stars using the total number of flights already completed on each destination before the update?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and support.
Best regards,


Do you agree?

 

[ItsRalphy]

I've sent this message to GI support:

Hello Airport City Support Team,
I have been playing Airport City for many years and I really enjoy the game and all time‑limited events. However, I have noticed a serious problem with the skill stars ranking that makes the game unfair for long‑term players.
In my profile I currently have:
• 532 Expert destinations
• 2 Master destinations
• 3 Specialist destinations
This gives a total of 1608 skill stars (532 × 3 + 2 × 2 + 3 × 1), which exactly matches the number of stars shown on my main game screen. I have participated in all events and, as far as I know, there have never been more than 537 different destinations in total. Therefore, the absolute maximum number of skill stars that any player could legitimately obtain under the old system is strictly limited.
The issue appears in the neighbors list and global rankings. Many players who started the game earlier than I did show more than 2000 skill stars, even though such a number is impossible with the total number of available destinations. This strongly suggests that in the past the game incorrectly summed stars for some accounts (probably due to old bugs), and these wrong values were never corrected. As a result, the skill stars ranking is no longer accurate or fair.
Today a new version of Airport City was released, which changed the skill system: each destination for planes can now give up to 5 skill stars instead of the previous maximum of 3. To get the 4th and 5th star you need to complete a very large number of flights to a given destination. Unfortunately, the game does not take into account the flights that were already completed before the update. The system simply starts from the current 3 stars and ignores all previously accumulated flights, even if the total number shown in the “total flights” counter would already be enough to receive 4 or 5 stars.
For example, on one of my destinations - Macau I have already completed about 18,400 flights (this value is displayed in the game in the total flights counter for that route - All-time statistics), which should clearly be enough to reach 5 stars with the new thresholds. However, after the update I still have only 3 stars on this destination and the game requires me to perform thousands of additional flights to unlock the missing 2 stars.
This creates two major unfair situations for long‑term players:
• In the past, some players received more stars than were actually possible due to bugs in the system.
• Now, with the new 5‑star system, honest flights made over many years are ignored and do not count towards the new stars.
In addition, I would like to emphasize that you already have all the necessary data on your servers to correct this situation. For every player and every destination, the game stores the exact number of flights performed over the years. Based on these existing databases, you could immediately prepare and run an algorithm that:
• recalculates the correct number of skill stars for each destination and each player (including the new 4th and 5th stars), using the real number of flights already performed, and
• updates the total skill stars value and rankings so that they reflect players’ actual in‑game activity and effort.
This would correct both historical errors and the new problem introduced with the 5‑star system and would restore a fair competitive environment for everyone. Players would once again be able to compete on equal terms, knowing that all stars and rankings are based only on real, legitimately completed flights.
I attach screenshots showing:
1. My profile with the detailed number of Expert/Master/Specialist destinations,
2. The neighbors list where you can see players with more than 2000 stars.
3. Macau flight information board
Could you please forward this report to the development team and let me know if you plan to:
1. Recalculate the total number of skill stars for all players based on their real per‑destination progress, and
2. Recalculate the new 4th and 5th stars using the total number of flights already completed on each destination before the update?
Thank you very much in advance for your time and support.
Best regards,


Do you agree?

Well done, well put together and worded. Lets see what happens.

 

[LX Air - Teresa]

It is, even though I’m pretty much convinced they did it on purpose.
so I expect their reply to be in line with not taking into account the previously completed flights behind 3stars being meant as a feature…
keep us updated , please, @DarekK

 

[DarekK]

It is, even though I’m pretty much convinced they did it on purpose.
so I expect their reply to be in line with not taking into account the previously completed flights behind 3stars being meant as a feature…
keep us updated , please, @DarekK

I believe that GI will take a fair approach to this problem and fix the star rating system. To obtain VR, ER, EP, and RDF, which are required as additional items for completing flights to several destinations, many players have flown their teddy bears to Caracas, Mogadishu, Pyongyang, and Macau. They deserve to be properly rewarded for completing these flights.
There are still many destinations to fly to – there are 538 in total in the game – so players will continue to have plenty of goals to pursue. I do not believe that anyone in the alliances involved has flown more than the 1,000 flights required for a 3‑star rating on a given destination. The game itself is great, and the idea of adding more stars is also great, but in order to prevent players from quitting, the competitive environment needs to be consistent and fair.

 

[Nayeon]

For real. At the higher levels too, the number of flights needed strains the eyes. There are 12 standard Condor destinations, and I am at 3 stars each. Now, I need to get 3900 more flights for 5 stars? That's 46,800 flights for just the standard destinations (in theory) but 11 also need VR, so it works out to what, 85,800 flights? I'll be an old granny by the time that happens. 👵 😭

 

[M22]

I wasn't far off completing all the stars but this now takes the Michael somewhat. Also @DarekK there was a time I remember when no of flights for stars was increased so people were able to get the same stars twice on a few flights. There was also the time we all changed our language to Russian for some special events only available there but you probably did them. Totally agree that past flights should count but I think it's far too many flights it's just boring. New destinations, new planes, the once much talked about mission to mars and new spacecraft would all be far more interesting.
Personally I don't think I'll bother trying get all those 5 stars, all it proves is developers stringing us along for more money.

 

[Gregb41405]

Well Written Darek. I have done the same letter to them in the past few days. and get a response that is non acceptable. Even newer players may have what it takes too be affected.
as well. on say swift planes or owls flight, players only playing a few months could reach these goals to get 4 or 5 stars, but not now would have to do it over. I too was close to finish all stars before update.

not to mention that 100 limit still in place it makes some of the new star goals almost impossible to reach.

Its not fair for all players!!

 

[_orz_]

In the recent update, we increased the number of obtainable skill stars to 5 per destination (excluding helicopter ones), giving players new goals and opportunities to earn rewards. These new stars do not count flights retroactively, so players must complete the required number of flights, regardless of the total number of flights they have per destination. This ensures that both stars and their rewards can be credited correctly.

That G! answer to your old progress, so no all your hard earn hardship become 0.

As for your first question i'm still waiting for respond, but my bet on most likely it negative.

 

[DarekK]

I'm publishing the rest of our correspondence here.
For me, this is the end of my adventure with this game.

Nancy
June 10, 2026, 19:54 +0200
Hello Dariusz, Thank you for contacting us and sharing your observations! Players who earned stars by flying to destinations that have since been removed from the game may have more stars than those who joined later. The total number of destinations in the game at this moment is approximately 538 (including helicopter ones), although some of them are currently inaccessible. The recent update increased the maximum number of stars that can be earned per destination to 5. To ensure that the additional stars and their associated rewards are obtained correctly, progress toward the 4th and 5th stars is not calculated retroactively based on flights completed before the update. Nevertheless, I greatly appreciate your detailed feedback and the screenshots you provided. I will make sure to forward them to our team for review. However, I'm afraid there's no information to share at this time about future updates or possible changes. If you have any other questions or concerns, we're always here for you!

Hello Nancy,
Thank you for your reply, but I have to be very direct here, because the situation is extremely disappointing.
With the current solution you are effectively forcing long‑term players to refly tens of thousands of flights that we have already completed over many years, just to “earn back” progress we already achieved. All‑time statistics for each destination clearly show how many flights were done, yet these flights are completely ignored for the 4th and 5th stars. This is not just “not retroactive” – it feels like taking away years of progress and pretending it never happened.
In many online games there are balance changes, but the basic rule is that players do not lose what they have already legitimately earned. Here it looks exactly like that: our past effort is simply wiped out from the star system, even though the data is still visible in the game. From a player’s perspective this feels unfair and, frankly, like being robbed of our time and progress.
You say there is no information about possible changes, but you clearly have all the necessary data on your servers (all‑time stats per destination for every player). Whether you use it or not is only a question of whether you care about treating players fairly. If you do not recalculate stars in the ranking and do not count already completed flights toward the additional stars, many players will feel cheated and stripped of what they have worked for over years.
Personally, at this point I no longer see any sense in continuing to play Airport City. I have spent many years and money on this game, including buying Premium Class during events, and now I am being told that my past flights simply do not count. I will stop spending money on the game and I will also inform other players about this situation on the AirportCityGame forum.
I still hope your team will reconsider this decision, run a proper recalculation based on existing all‑time flight statistics, and restore the trust of long‑term players. Without that, the message you send is that years of honest play can be erased by a single update.
Best regards,
Dariusz

 

[M22]

Now this, they don't want us

 

[Tom-SUB]

my experience (I should have mathematically 1585 - displayed are 1584) - and I complained many times about this. The mathematics should be clear. GI never denied it, but they are not in a position to change the stars :-D Another useless customer service. How many times I requested to check it and to change it? three or four times in the last years. No action will be taken. :-D That is G.I.

 

[flyhores]

For real. At the higher levels too, the number of flights needed strains the eyes. There are 12 standard Condor destinations, and I am at 3 stars each. Now, I need to get 3900 more flights for 5 stars? That's 46,800 flights for just the standard destinations (in theory) but 11 also need VR, so it works out to what, 85,800 flights? I'll be an old granny by the time that happens. 👵 😭

I'm afraid our all lying in a corner of the church, counting stars

 

[flyhores]

Now this, they don't want us

This is not a problem.
I have also encountered it a few times, and I guess it was due to version updates and excessive server pressure at that time.
Now it should be normal

 

[DarekK]

GI last answer:

Dear Dariusz,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

With the new update, the 4th and 5th stars were added, which caused the number of flights required to earn 3 stars to be reset. This allows players to work toward the newly added 4th and 5th stars and receive the rewards associated with them.

Nevertheless, we understand your concerns regarding flights completed before the update. While those flights are not currently counted toward progress for the 4th and 5th stars, we appreciate the feedback you and other players have shared on this topic. Your comments have been forwarded to our team, and we will consider them when discussing potential future improvements.

If you have any additional questions or suggestions, please let us know!