What Is MSFS and How Does It Connect to Virtual Airlines Like Delta Virtual Airlines?

MSFS stands for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and in the context of Delta Virtual Airlines it refers specifically to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 — the modern version the VA lists among its supported simulators. If you already fly MSFS and want a structured reason to keep flying, you can join Delta Virtual Airlines, file flight reports, and fly Delta and alliance routes without any connection to the real airline. The main condition is that you join the active pilot roster before you can submit reports or post in the forums.

MSFS vs. the older simulators Delta Virtual Airlines supports

Delta Virtual Airlines is a flight simulation community, not a software product. Its own description says its members fly Delta Air Lines and alliance partner routes using a range of simulators, and MSFS 2020 is one of them. The full supported list from the site:

So MSFS is not a separate program you need in order to fly for the VA — it is one of several simulators you can use. The practical difference is mostly visual and technical: MSFS 2020 is the newest of the Microsoft line, while FS2004 and FSX are much older platforms and Prepar3D is Lockheed-Martin's simulation-oriented branch. Delta Virtual Airlines supports all of them, which means your choice of simulator does not decide whether you can participate.

What a virtual airline actually is

A virtual airline (VA) is an organized group of flight simulation enthusiasts who replicate an airline's routes, schedules, and procedures in a simulator. Delta Virtual Airlines describes itself as "a group of flight simulation enthusiasts who fly Delta Air Lines and its alliance partners' routes." Two things follow from that:

• You are flying simulated routes, not real ones.
• The organization is independent. Delta Virtual Airlines states plainly that it is "in no way affiliated with Delta Air Lines."

The site also reports scale: since May 2003 it has received over 29,037,507 visits and 690,300,495 hits, and its servers have sent out over 23,598,529,145,233 bytes of data. Those numbers describe a long-running, active community rather than a small club.

How MSFS pilots log flights and submit reports

The site's own wording sets the gate: "Once you join the Delta Virtual Airlines active pilot roster, you may submit flight reports and contribute to our discussion forums and image library." In other words, flight reporting is a member function, not something open to visitors.

The site's navigation shows the tools involved in that workflow — a Flight Dispatch section with a Schedule, an ACARS system with a Live ACARS Map and Google Earth ACARS Flights, plus Logbooks and a Flight Planner (a Beta release of the Flight Planner was announced on the site). For an MSFS pilot, the practical sequence looks like this:

1. Join and get onto the active pilot roster.
2. Pick a route from the schedule or dispatch tools.
3. Fly it in MSFS 2020.
4. Submit a flight report so the flight is recorded in your logbook.

The site does not spell out every click path for filing a report, so treat the exact menu steps as something you confirm after logging in rather than something to assume in advance.

Joining Delta Virtual Airlines: what to expect

The homepage presents the VA as open to a wide range of experience: it says it is "designed for both the experienced pilot and the novice (and all of us that are in between!)" and invites interested visitors to join via a "Click Here to join Delta Virtual Airlines" link. The public roster activity gives a sense of what new members look like — recent additions include pilots listed with aircraft types such as the A320, B737-800, and A330-300.

A few things worth knowing before you commit:

• Membership is required for the core activities. Flight reports, the Water Cooler discussion forum, and the image library are all gated behind the active pilot roster.
• No pricing information is stated on the page. The site does not indicate whether joining involves any cost, so do not assume it is free or paid — check the join flow itself.
• MSFS is optional, not mandatory. You can fly the same routes in FSX, FS2004, Prepar3D, or X-Plane if that is what you have.

Is it worth joining if you fly MSFS?

If your goal is to give your MSFS flying a purpose — real Delta and alliance routes, a schedule to follow, a logbook that records your progress, and a community to compare notes with — Delta Virtual Airlines is built for exactly that, and MSFS 2020 is a supported platform. If you would rather fly freeform with no reporting or roster requirements, a VA structure will feel like overhead. The deciding factor is not which simulator you own, since all the major ones are supported, but whether you want the structure of an organized virtual airline at all.