Being that I was that newb just six months ago I can still appreciate how overwhelming the game can be.... Especially for those of us "on the other side of the world" when the TA has 0 players during our peak hours.
One thing that I don't think many people take into consideration is that for the average new player with little or not flight-sim background - the first thing you want to know is "is this game worth it?" Before you invest weeks/months/years trying to become a good pilot you want to make sure that the game is worth the investment... and you just can't make that determination in the TA.
For instance, the first time I logged on there were under 10 people in EW, less than 20 in MW, and only 80 in the MA. If you're coming from a background of larger massively multiplayer online games (like WoW or EQ) you might wonder if 80 people is enough to be enjoyable... In some of those games it's hard to find a "good" team when you have thousands of people to choose from. Not to mention, I've found literally dozens of great games with solid gameplay mechanics and then you create your account and discover that the game is in bad shape - players are quitting like crazy and the game is in danger of being shut down... 110 players online at any given time can make AH appear that way at times.
I say, if you love the game and you want to make sure it's around for another 10 years - take the time to extend a welcoming hand to the new guys. Every $15/mo that HTC gets helps - even moreso than in larger games.
On my first night, a member of the HAZE 100th happened to be online - and he took me to a quiet base and gave me a quick rundown of the basics. After that I was convinced that the game was worth learning, and I started pouring through documentation like a madman... Had someone not taken 10 minutes of his time to welcome me, I likely would have uninstalled the game and not thought twice about it.
<S>
Tim