I've been in the closed beta and the game looks incredible and was fully intending to get it on release. However, I saw the different pricing packages and MS is fully monetizing the game. If you want the detailed airports, etc., You have to pay more than the standard version. For detailed airports, you'll have to pony up $120 for that package.
Hey Ack Ack, how did flight feel? the flight modelling?
Yes you can get the game for very cheap ranging to very expensive, i.e Xbox Gamepass (that also works for PC) ranging to the premium $120 package, from what i read you do get detailed airports in all versions, but perhaps not all of them, i tought the main differance was the amount of of Aircraft you get.
This video breaks down the different packages (starting at 2 minutes in) :
Breakdown :
Standard $59.99 : 20 Planes & 30 "Handmade" Airports
Deluxe $89.99: 25 Planes & 35 "Handmade" Airports
Premium $119.99: 30 Planes & 40 "Handmade" Airports
The version you get thru Xbox gamepass ($4 monthly subscription that gets you access to Microsofts library of games) is the Standard version.
Alot of the other sims in this category does this aswell, in some of them you even have to buy terrain pack DLCs in order to play. So in the end i dont think Microsoft is doing something totally outrageous here.
And, all the airports will be more or less detailed no matter what, the airports you are mentioning are the ones that are modelled as an exact replica from real life, the ones that they spent alot of effort on bringing in to the game as an exact copy of real life.
Maybe Standard edition is the way to go, from what i read you can upgrade that package later if you want, and i suspect they will be selling individual planes and airports aswell, so you can buy exactly the content that you actually want.
I went premium tough