For decades, since the advent of air travel, airlines placed “Welcome Aboard” packets in seat pockets, so passengers could familiarize themselves with the aircraft, the routes, announcements and other travel souvenirs (I.e. bag tags, air mail labels, post cards, writing material, airline luggage labels) or cross market hotels and car rentals. (The postcards and airline baggage labels are popular collectibles on sites like eBay, today. Last look there were thousands on offer, some selling for a good return.) Yesterday year aircraft and destination stickers are especially popular. “Fly United to Hawaii this winter by luxurious Stratocruiser.”
These “welcome aboard” packets started to disappear, and make way for inflight magazines which were favored because the didn’t require assembling and had the added benefit of an income source, advertising to some very marketable folks, affluent air travelers. This segment was much desired by advertisers.
Additionally, those “welcome aboard” packets contained a wide variety of content that is readily available online today. Knowing your current flyer is a high prospect for being a future flyer and you were a captive audience, the inflight magazine, like Pan American’s Clipper or. United’s Mainliner, featured route promotions, chairman’s updates, route maps, aircraft details and other articles of interest to air travelers during their long journeys.
I give credit to Pan American World Airways and other airlines for developing my knowledge of geography and aircraft statistics. Additionally, I would pour over the content and learn a great deal about cultures, locations, diversity of destinations and other airline announcements. While they added nominal extra weight on aircraft, before inflight entertainment, they were an inspiring sojourn into global information.
Alas, United recently announced it was laying to rest what may be the last U.S. airline inflight magazine which is published for a sponsoring airline; Hemispheres, which is the evolution of the original Mainliner.
I regret the move,because it is one of the last brand reinforcement tools at an airline’s disposal. Most airline’s inflight magazines were victims of COVID groundings, as a cost cutting opportunity.
I’m not entirely sure all passengers are digitally savvy. Certainly, as power sources for phones and access to digital content aren’t universal yet, it leaves the passengers unengaged.
I vote for something brand related, that will connect the customer to their current flying experience. Ideas?
