Air Baron challenges players to build an airline empire in the United States by amassing a plurality of market share and liquid assets.

If, at the end of his turn, a player has a combined total of market share and cash equal to or greater than the victory margin, he wins.

Jumbo jets provide similar bonuses on the domestic spoke where deployed, or they can be held in reserve for later use in an opposed takeover.

Since the state can only be entered or exited at the beginning of a player's turn, the randomized play order has a major impact on the potential for income loss.

Several optional rules, including strikes, crashes, government loans, and bidding, are provided as part of an advanced version.