Seatback setback: United Airlines ditching paper version of Hemispheres magazine

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.

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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.

But now, United is "taking this product that was really built for another time and making it much more accessible," he said. Nowadays, most passengers travel with their own electronic devices, and United has vowed to put screens at every seat in its new fleet.

United Airlines is far from being a trendsetter by retiring its physical magazine.

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In fact, the carrier is the last major domestic carrier to close the book on the print version of its inflight magazine.

Back in the days when there were no seatback screens and perhaps one monitor for movies at the front of the cabin, the print version of Hemispheres "was a great way for us to communicate with customers, provide interesting content and help them learn a little bit more about United," Muren said. While it may be "tough to let it go," he said the carrier's research shows that transferring attention to the mobile app and a screen is the right move.

"There's a correlation between having a screen on board and the customer liking so many different aspects of their journey," Muren said. "It makes a lot of sense and is the right thing to do," he said.

Out with the old, in with the new

United said the Hemispheres digital platform will include "personalized, timely and dynamic travel content" in various formats, such as fresh feature articles for destination inspiration, archival issues and fan favorites such as the Three Perfect Days guides.

According to Muren, some flight and travel information that was once only available in the magazine — such as listings of the inflight entertainment options, customs information and airport maps — are already available in easier-to-use form on the airline's mobile app.

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The print version of Hemispheres magazine included details about connecting to Wi-Fi and listed the food and drinks available during the flight. For now, that information will be printed on a small card slipped into the seatback pocket that includes "a bit richer explanation of the food experience and more pictures," Muren said.

"We still want people to know what's available and be able to make an order," he said. "And we can do that without the entire magazine wrapped around it."

You won't be able to tear out or draw on the route maps, but Muren said United is "going to be able to create a world where it is very interactive." It will allow customers to program things into the map, such as places they want to go and places they've been, he added.

Sustainable? Yes. But that's not what's driving the change

United said removing the physical Hemispheres magazine reduces workload, carbon dioxide emissions and cost. While it's great to get points for being "the environmental good guy," Muren said what's most important is that United customers have a great experience. "And we think digital is really key to doing that," he said.

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Over at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, commercial aviation curator Bob van der Linden isn't all that sad about inflight magazines going away.

"It's not essential to travel today," he said. "Everything you need is on your cellphone or in the entertainment system, so there are now so many other distractions to keep you busy for the length of your flight."

But Matthew Burchette, senior curator at Seattle's Museum of Flight, is a bit more nostalgic.

"Sure, I can watch nearly every season of 'Friends' or a newly released movie, but I'm more old-fashioned," Burchette said. "I liked learning about Memphis' SmokeSlam: The World's Ultimate BBQ Showdown or the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. Even though I wasn't going there, it gave me a sense of what it was like to live there. I like to think it made our country a bit smaller and more accessible."

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