American Airlines to abandon inflight magazine after 55 years
American Airlines will discontinue its inflight magazine American Way, the glossy publication that has lining the company’s seatback pockets since 1966.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said it will retire the magazine at the end of this month, suggesting it no longer aligns with the entertainment options preferred by travelers. American described the magazine’s death as “bittersweet.”
The magazine’s former editor-inchief, Adam Pitluk, said the company’s announcement surprises him because the availability of digital inflight entertainment isn’t new. He also said he thinks there’s still a market for American Way.
“For me, it’s pretty unfathomable to think that with a fixed audience, you can’t put forth a product that your passengers want,” Pitluk said.
American isn’t the only airline that’s given up its inflight publication. Southwest Airlines stopped distributing its magazine in March 2020 due to pandemic-related concerns and has no current plans to bring it back, said spokeswoman Brandy King.
United Airlines’ Hemispheres is still in production by American Way’s former publisher, Ink, along with over two dozen other U.S. and international customers, including Amtrak.
American Way was previously produced in-house along with Celebrated Living, which was available in firstclass seating, and Nexos, a Spanishand Portuguese-language magazine. After the company merged with U.S. Airways in 2013, American slowly phased out the other two magazines before outsourcing production to the London-based Ink in 2015.