You’d be surprised. Third-party add-ons are what kept flight simulation alive through a decade of neglect. Airports are likely the most successful part of that market. Entire studios like Orbx keep tens of employees fed by selling only airports.
Keep in mind that core simmers don’t just land and take off, but do the full procedure from start to end. When I fly with an airliner, I spend about 40 minutes at the airport before even taxiing away from the gate to do the full startup procedure, including programming the route on the flight computer and all that. For many, the immersion provided by a well-crafted airport is very important.
Here’s an example of what I mean (and this is done by a real a320 pilot, so he’s faster than most) https://www.youtube.com/wat…
If it’s not for you tho, most definitely stay away from this money black hole lol. Many are perfectly fine with the default scenery, and that’s great.
