I have fond memories of the airplane magazine. In my most distinct memory of it, my sister and I actually brought a copy off of the plane, to browse in bed. Blowing past the articles, we admired and gawked at the fancy and quirky merchandise advertised inside. To us, those advertisements served as low fantasy, a conduit to imagine a lifestyle where not only did we need a multi-color pool light with different modes, we bought one on a plane!

The plane stood as one of the last few places where print media still found appeal over digital to mass audiences. Now with Wi-Fi on planes, and subsequently the shuttering of the last major US airline magazine, the airplane magazine has gone the way of the rest of the magazines: a shambling, if not dead, print option giving way to yet another item to scroll through on my phone.

Through the miracle of technology, the digital airplane magazine will have personalization! I suppose because that increases engagement metrics, which may pave the way to monetization? Airlines don't really make money on tickets, and they wouldn't make commission from a catalog, given you could just shop Amazon on the in-flight Wi-Fi.

At least they could continue to go the way of the rest of the magazines, and promote a product recommendation section (with commission, of course). That way I could have an alternative Wirecutter, on a plane!