It is both the end of an era and a sign of the (electronic) times.
United Airlines recently announced it is discontinuing the print version of Hemispheres, the inflight magazine that has greeted passengers from the seatback pocket since 1992.
Starting with the October issue, United will offer Hemispheres in digital form only.
Many passengers will miss grabbing a pen, flipping the magazine open to the crossword puzzle and hoping no one else has filled it out yet. Others will miss carefully tearing out that month’s enticing “Three Perfect Days” feature and dreaming of jetting off for a quick, efficient trip to that destination. It was even fun to quickly flip through the magazine to see what snacks were available for sale on a particular flight.
Mark Muren, United Airlines’ managing director of product, identity and loyalty, told TPG that the carrier is instead “taking a big leap into digital entertainment” and moving the magazine online. This way, United can offer passengers “more personalized content and tell richer stories,” according to United’s statement, as well as options for enlarged text, access to archival features and (soon) translation into eight languages.
Muren remembers the days when he’d study the route maps in the Hemispheres magazine, read the note from the CEO and take the magazine with him at the end of a flight.