In the modern world of doing things, virtual reality has become a way of performing some real life functions or duties and has proven to be a viable method of achieving set objectives. Virtual reality can be simply described as computer simulation which is a computer generated environment which stimulates activities similar to real world situations. In a broader way, virtual reality is a technique by which a computer simulates a three-dimensional physical environment using visual and auditory stimuli within which people can interact; to affect what happens in the simulation.

This virtual reality has been integrated into the airline industry to aid those who wish to learn the highly technical field of aviation and flying. A virtual airline is an Internet organization dedicated to the hobby of flight simulation while a flight simulator is a training device or apparatus that simulates certain conditions of actual flight or of flight operations. It is a device providing a controlled environment in which a flight trainee can experience conditions approximating those of actual flights. A simulator generally consists of an enclosure housing a working replica of the interior of the cockpit of an aircraft. This replica has all the usual instruments and is mounted in such a way that it can be moved to simulate the rolling, pitching, and yawing motions of an aircraft.

In essence, virtual airlines are not real. However, they are considered a serious hobby that has great appeal among a very wide age-range of participants. It has been argued that virtual airlines provide a sandbox environment where younger members can experience the corporate environment of commercial business in the airline industry, without the attendant risk of financial loss. Virtual airlines also provide an outlet for those who are interested in aviation but are unable to fly themselves in real life due to financial, health, or other reasons.

In virtual airlines, a person control inputs, the position of the simulator, information about the characteristics of the aircraft being simulated; and information about the terrain over which it is supposed to be flying are coordinated by a computer so that the student experiences everything but the accelerations of actual flights. In early simulators, all visual information was provided by the instruments. Thus the student received practice in flying blind. The recent use of sophisticated computers has made it possible to provide realistic video displays of conditions outside the cockpit.

Virtual airlines are usually non-profit organizations, although it is really an attempt to replicate real airlines in terms of organizational structure. The most common organizational structure often includes one or more of the following positions: CEO, President, Vice-President, Operations director, and virtual pilots. While a wide variety of virtual airlines are fictional in name and operation, other virtual airlines take the name of a real-world airline with approval from the actual corporate entity to which they virtually represent.

Some real-world airlines, like Cathay Pacific have been known to discourage those using their name or other copyrighted material, and have even threatened legal action. Others such as United Airlines have encouraged them; the real-world United Airlines provided web hosting and a united.com sub-domain for its virtual counterpart. Additionally, there are virtual airline conglomerates that run several more or less independent virtual airlines under a common brand, site design, or name. Virtual Pilots who work virtually for these virtual companies must have a flight simulator and other computer equipment in order to perform. Usually, the airline's website keeps a record of the hours flown by each pilot and sometimes even pays them for the flight, all being done virtually.

Many virtual airlines such as VATSIM allow you to fly online. VATSIM is an online community created for enthusiasts of flight simulation and air traffic control. One of the main goals of VATSIM is to create an environment which is fun and, at the same time, educational and a realistic simulation of procedures followed by pilots and air traffic controllers everyday around the world. In addition, the virtual airline is an integral part of the flight simulation community and allows many online pilots to experience the unique characteristics of the airline industry.

Most virtual airlines regularly host online events where virtual pilots can participate in group flights with hundreds of other virtual airline pilots. Technology has vastly improved since the introduction of BBS-operated virtual airlines, allowing a wider variety of tools and resources available to virtual pilots, thus enhancing realism of flight simulation. With the new 'out of the box' VATSIM Style gameplay in Microsoft Flight Simulator X More people are joining virtual airlines. Other types of virtual airlines include Virtual VFR Clubs. Indeed, the future of flying may well start with virtual airlines.