Inflight magazine

An inflight magazine (or in-flight magazine) is a free magazine distributed via the seats of an airplane by an airline company.

Overview

Many airline companies produce inflight magazines to provide details about their fleet, as well as articles about destinations or other interesting information.

Inflight publishing is an unusual niche in the magazine world. Airline titles have minimal distribution costs, and readership figures come from existing passenger traffic. Most airlines use external publishers to produce their magazines,^[1] and Ink is currently the world’s leading company in this sector.^[2]

More than 80% of passengers read the magazines airlines place in front of them, and readers average around 30 minutes a flight with the magazines, according to Arbitron.^[1] Despite the challenges facing the publishing industry, this is a healthy sector, and on a large scale, inflight magazines have suffered less than magazines overall.^[1]

While the quality of inflight magazines varies widely, their upscale, captive readership appeals to advertisers, particularly luxury-goods makers targeting men.^[1]

History and evolution

The first inflight magazine was that of Pan American World Airways, whereas the longest running inflight magazine is KLM's Holland Herald,^[3] first published in January 1966.^[4] The inflight market has grown in recent years,^[5] and there are currently over 150 inflight magazines titles.^[6]

Moreover, since the birth of digital technology, most airlines are distributing their magazines digitally via tablet computer applications, or over the internet.^[7]

Publishers

Among specialized publishers are

• ExiGent Magazine' is the official and exclusive in-flight magazine of several airlines specialized in business jets throughout Europe and Africa. ExiGent Magazine also is the corporate magazine of one of the largest luxury real estate agencies. The company works actually with 6 airline & real estate agency partners. (including Afrijet Business Service, Dassault Falcon Service, Jet Net Alliance, Helipass, Coldwell Banker France et Monaco and Sparfell and Partners). ExiGent Magazine produces 6 inflight magazines in 2 languages, French and English.
• Ink is a global media company specialising in content and advertising for the travel sector, headquartered in London. The company works with 29 airline, rail and hotel partners worldwide (including American Airlines, United, easyJet, Iberia, and Norwegian), with offices in London, Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Miami, Melbourne, São Paulo and Singapore. Ink produces 26 inflight magazines in 18 languages, in magazine and airline mobile apps for their travel partners. Ink offers advertising across magazines, and passenger travel documents (print-at home boarding passes, booking confirmation emails), in airline mobile apps and online properties. Their media channels reach over 753 million passengers every year.
• Spafax, a multinational editorial and content marketing company based in London, Montréal and Toronto with more than 70 clients around the world. Its 13 offices worldwide - London, Toronto, Montréal, Santiago, Lima, Dubai, Frankfurt, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur, Miami, New York, California, Singapor - produce magazines and IFE products for clients such as British Airways, Air Canada, LAN, and Malaysia Airlines.
• Maxposure Media Group, which produces Shubh Yatra magazine for Air India, Spice Route magazine for SpiceJet Airlines, and Vistara Magazine for Vistara Airline (JV between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines). It has a sales representation in over 20 countries.
• Stream, producing around 10 inflight magazines, including Flybe and CityJet
• Agency Fish, whose main client is Qatar Airways, Srilankan Airlines and Garuda Indonesia
• Motivate Publishing, which produces the inflight magazine for Emirates Airline, Open Skies, and Emirates' business class magazine, Portfolio
• Cedar Communications, which produces British Airways High Life, First Life and Business Life
• G+J Corporate Editors, which produces Lufthansa Magazin, Lufthansa Woman's world and Lufthansa exclusive
• Lagardere France, whose main airline client is Air France
• Subcontinental Media Group, whose main airline clients are Biman Bangladesh Airlines from Bangladesh and Fly Africa Airlines in South Africa. It publishes Bihanga Magazine for Biman and Flyafrica.com Magazine for Fly Africa. It has own offices in Dhaka (Bangladesh), New Delhi, Kolkata in India and Johannesburg in South Africa. SMG has a sales network in over 15 key countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.^[8]
• Bentang Media Nusantara, whose main airline clients are Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air

Specialized advertising agencies of inflight magazines

• giO media (inflight specialist for Benelux, Cyprus and Middle East markets), representing, recommending and centralizing all aspects of Inflight media. It is working for over 75% of all the airlines worldwide, such as British Airways, Air France, KLM, United-Continental, Emirates and Virgin Australia^[9]
• IMM International (inflight marketing bureau for France, Switzerland, UK, Italy and China markets), representing, recommending and centralizing all aspects of Inflight media. It works with 150 airlines worldwide (more than 200 magazines)^[10]
• The Media Ant (inflight specialist for Indian market), representing, recommending and centralizing all aspects of Inflight media. It works with over 90% of the airlines in the country, such as IndiGo, Jetwings and Air Costa.^{[11][12][13][14]}

List of inflight magazines

North America

Canada

• Air Canada : enRoute
• Air North : Yukon, North of Ordinary
• Air Transat: Atmosphere
• Porter Airlines : re:Porter
• Westjet : UP!

Mexico

• Aeroméxico : Aire and Accent
• Mexicana de Aviación  : VUELO (defunct)
• TAESA  : Caminos (defunct)
• vivaAerobus : enVIVA
• Volaris : V de Volaris

USA

• AirTran Airways  : GO (defunct)
• Alaska Airlines  : Alaska Airlines Magazine
• American Airlines : American Way,^[15] CL (Celebrated Living) - business class / NEXOS^[16] - Latin American flights
• Continental Airlines  : ContinentalPacific (defunct)
• Delta Air Lines : Sky Magazine
• Hawaiian Airlines : Hana Hou!
• KaiserAir Inc. : "KA Confidential"
• Northwest Airlines : World Traveler (defunct)
• Pan American World Airways : Clipper Magazine (defunct)
• SeaPort Airlines : Cloud 9 magazine
• Southwest Airlines : Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine
• Spirit Airlines : Skylights
• United Airlines : Hemispheres,^[17] Rhapsody^[18] - first and business class magazines

South America

• Aerolíneas Argentinas : Alta
• Aeroméxico : escala
• Grupo TACA  : EXPLORE Magazine (defunct)
• LAN Airlines : in, inWines, inPremiere
• Varig : Ícaro (defunct)

Europe

• Adria Airways : Adria Airways Inflight Magazine
• Aegean Airlines : Blue
• Aer Lingus : Cara
• Aeroflot : Aeroflot, Aeroflot Premium, Aeroflot Style
• airBaltic: Baltic Outlook
• Air Berlin : Air Berlin Magazine
• Air France : Air France Magazine (Bon Voyage)
• Air Moldova : Altitude Inflight Magazine
• AirClub : AirClub Magazine^[19]
• Alitalia : Ulisse
• Blue Panorama Airlines : Mondo in Blue
• bmi : Voyager
• bmibaby : yeahbaby (defunct)
• British Airways : High Life, Business Life - business class, First Life - first class
• Brussels Airlines : b.there!,^[20] b.spirit!^[21] - long haul
• Croatia Airlines: Croatia Magazine
• easyJet : easyJet Traveller^[22]
• Finnair : Blue Wings
• Flybe Group PLC : Business Uncovered
• Germanwings : GW^[23]
• Iberia : Ronda,^[24]Excelente^[25]
• Jet2.com: JetAway Magazine^[26]
• KLM : Holland Herald
• LOT Polish Airlines: Kaleidoscope
• Lufthansa : Lufthansa Magazin, Woman's World, Lufthansa Exclusiv
• Martinair : M
• Monarch Airlines : Explorer
• Nordstar : Летать легко (Easy to fly)
• Norwegian Air Shuttle : n Magazine^[27]
• PrivatAir : PrivatAir Magazine^[28]
• Ryanair : Let's Go Magazine^[29]
• S7 Airlines : S7 Magazine
• Scandinavian Airlines System : Scandinavian Traveler
• TAP Air Portugal : UP
• TAROM : Insight, SkyLady
• Thomas Cook : Thomas Cook Travel Magazine,^[30] Thomas Cook Emporium^[31]
• Thomson Airways : Inflight^[32]
• Turkish Airlines : Sky Life
• Wind Jet : Check-Out
• Wizz Air : Wizz Magazine^[33]

Africa

• Air Algérie : Tassili
• Arik Air : Wings
• Egyptair : Horus
• Ethiopian Airlines : selamta
• Fly Africa : Fly Africa Magazine
• South African Airways : sawubona
• TAAG : Austral

Asia

• ANA : Wingspan
• Air China: Wings of China
• Air India : Shubh Yatra Magazine^[34]
• Air Macau : Air Macau Magazine
• Air Mandalay : Air Mandalay - Golden Flight
• AirAsia : Travel 3Sixty
• Bangkok Airways : Fah Thai^[35]
• Batik Air : Batik
• Biman Bangladesh Airlines : Bihanga^[36]
• Cathay Pacific : Discovery
• Cebu Pacific  : Smile^[37]
• China Airlines : Dynasty
• China Southern Airlines: NiHao (English), Gateway 南方航空 (Chinese), Elite (Chinese)
• Citilink : Linked
• EVA Air : enVoyage
• Garuda Indonesia : Colours
• Kalstar Aviation : Kalstar
• Korean Air : Morning Calm, Beyond
• Japan Airlines : Skyward
• Jetstar Airways : Jetstar Asia^[38] / Jetstar Japan^[39]
• Lion Air : Lionmag
• Malaysia Airlines : Going Places
• Nok Air : Jibjib
• Pakistan International Airlines : Humsafar
• PAL Express : La Isla
• Philippine Airlines : Mabuhay Magazine
• Singapore Airlines : SilverKris
• SpiceJet : SpiceRoute
• SriLankan Airlines : Serendib
• Sriwijaya Air : Sriwijaya
• Thai Airways International : Sawasdee
• Tiger Airways : Tiger Tales Asia^[40] / Tiger Tales Philippines^[41]
• TurboJet : Horizon
• Vietnam Airlines : Heritage (monthly), Heritage Fashion (monthly starting 15th day of the month), Heritage Japan (quarterly)
• Wings Air : Wings
• Zest Airways : Zest Magazine

Middle East

• EL AL : Atmosphere
• Emirates : Open Skies
• Etihad Airways  : Etihad Inflight
• flynas  : flynas magazine^[42]
• Gulf Air : Gulf Life
• Jazeera Airways : J Magazine
• Kuwait Airways : Al-Buraq
• Qatar Airways : Oryx
• Royal Jordanian : Royal Wings
• Safi Airways : Safi Airways Inflight Magazine
• Saudi Airlines : Ahlan Wasahlan

Oceania

• Air New Zealand : Kia Ora
• Jetstar Airways : Jetstar Australia^[43]
• Qantas : QANTAS The Australian Way
• Tiger Airways: Tiger Tales Australia^[44]
• Virgin Australia : Voyeur

Caribbean

• Caribbean Airlines : Caribbean Beat

Similar magazines

Quite similar to inflight magazines, some railroad companies offer a comparable product aboard their long distance trains, e.g. Deutsche Bahn's mobil.^[45] This magazine is also distributed via the seats of the passenger cars.

References