End of an era

I don't know if we we'll miss these, but they're worth saying goodbye to.

Today's story begins in 1952, when Pan Am, the big U.S. airline of that era, introduced the world's first airline-published inflight magazine.

The idea was a hit, and almost every other airline copied it. A few years later, there were many different airline magazine titles around the world, sometimes running hundreds of pages per issue.

Passengers devoured them, even as they also developed a bit of a love-hate relationship with them.

Writers loved them because they paid quite well. More than a few journalists back then redid their kitchens or bathrooms or helped put a kid through college on the backs of freelance assignments for inflight magazines.

But then, media evolved: slowly at first, then all at once.

Airlines added seatback video screens. Passengers carried smartphones capable of storing or accessing the entire world history of information and entertainment.

Big U.S. airlines started doing the sensible thing, by doing away with printed inflight magazines.

The publications at Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines seem to have met their end as a result of the pandemic. Then, in 2021, American Airlines stopped publishing a print edition of American Way, which had been around since 1966.

Only one big U.S. inflight magazine remained: Hemispheres, on United Airlines.

Now, United says Hemispheres will end 32-year print run at the end of this month. Like many of its former competitors, it will live on as a digital publication.

And, in what I can only imagine as a nod to the nostalgia, United MileagePlus members who would like a free copy of the final print edition of Hemispheres can simply request one to be mailed to them.

Of course, we understand that the airline industry is radically different now than it was when Pan Am launched its magazine 72 years ago.

Heck, it's changed a lot even just since United introduced Hemispheres, in late 1992.

And, we also understand that United Airlines has a new onboard media focus: "Kinective Media by United Airlines," which lets advertisers run ads targeted at individual passengers.

According to an internal United memo reviewed by airline site Live and Let's Fly, United thinks moving away from a printed inflight magazine will allow it to ...

... create content that is more personalized, relevant and accessible, letting travelers learn about the destinations they are flying to and enabling them to take content with them ...

...

[Also, m]oving to a digital version of Hemispheres opens more Kinective Media by United Airlines opportunities and provides a more measurable experience.

Added bonus: Getting rid of print magazines will reduce CO2 emissions by 13,000 metric tons, according to the same internal memo.

Admittedly, in 2024 inflight magazines seem like a relic of a different time.

And, it seems especially odd for an airline to publish print magazines, when it's also running a business selling video ads targeted at passengers based on the idea that they’re a captive audience for hours at a stretch.

Come to think of it, there was always something odd to begin with about airlines having a magazine publishing division. It's not as if the United States had a shortage of print magazine titles back in the day.

Look, I enjoy writing about airlines because they offer great business lessons, and because I love flying and travel. And, I also appreciate the adventure, excitement, and even the bittersweet remnants of romance in the industry.

Sure, I get a bit nostalgic about things like the end of inflight magazines, even if I haven't picked one up in a while. (However, I did order my free copy of the last printed edition of Hemispheres.)

So join me in saying goodbye to this onboard anachronism. Time marches on, we all move forward, and change waits for nobody.

But, apropos of nothing: If anyone has an idea on how a writer can pay for a kitchen renovation in 2024, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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7 other things …

• Crime dropped nationally from 2022 to 2023, according to new data released by the FBI on Monday. Violent crime was down about 3% during that time and property crime took a similar drop of 2.4%. The most serious crimes went down significantly: Murder and non-negligent manslaughter were down an estimated 11.6% — the largest single year decline in two decades — while rape decreased by an estimated 9.4%. (NBC News)

• House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a temporary agreement that would keep the government funded until Dec. 20. The measure does not include any part of the SAVE Act, the election security proposal backed by former President Donald Trump. (NPR)

• Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday killed more than 350 people, including more than 60 women and children, Lebanese authorities said, in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of its widening air campaign against Hezbollah. In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese civilians to heed Israeli calls to evacuate, saying “take this warning seriously.” (AP)

• The U.S. is sending additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do. The U.S. currently has about 40,000 troops in the region. (AP)

• Hot people complain about the ‘horrible experience’ of being good-looking. (NY Post)

• Attention Kmart shoppers: The last full-size Kmart in the mainland United States is closing. (CNN)

• As someone who sees cars flying through crosswalks every day (and also as someone who stops every time when I'm driving), I support this: San Francisco cops dressed up in costumes like Big Bird and a giant inflatable chicken to catch drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians, and give them a $400 fine. "If you don’t see someone in a giant chicken costume," one cop said, "then we really have a problem." (SF Gate; YouTube)

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Thanks for reading. Photo by Ewan Robertson on Unsplash. I wrote about some of this before at Inc.com. See you in the comments.