United Airlines will be discontinuing its popular inflight magazine, and that’s kind of sad…
In this post:
United Hemispheres Magazine being cut
ModernRetail is reporting that United Airlines will be discontinuing the print version of its Hemispheres Magazine shortly. The magazine first launched in 1992, so it’s being discontinued after roughly 32 years. This is truly the end of an era, as United was the last of the “big three” US legacy airlines to still have an inflight magazine.
The process of winding down the magazine has already started — for example, hemispheresmag.com now redirects to United’s website, while it used to be a dedicated website. The archives from past issues have also disappeared from online.
I’m really going to miss Hemispheres Magazine, as I think it was probably the best produced inflight magazine. In particular, I loved United’s “Three Perfect Days” articles, highlighting various destinations that United serves.
Now, while the print version of Hemispheres Magazine is being cut, it appears that United plans to publish some sort of content digitally, though I don’t think it’ll look like the current magazine. Per a United spokesperson from some time back:
“A digital experience allows us to make Hemispheres even better — we can reach a wider audience, offer more personalized content and tell richer stories. We’ve even hired additional United staff to help us bring this new vision to life. We’re excited about the future possibilities and look forward to sharing more details soon.”
Keep in mind that United recently announced it was launching a media network, named Kinective Media by United Airlines. This is described as the airline industry’s first media network that uses insights from travel behaviors to connect customers to personalized, real-time advertising, content, experiences, and offers, from leading brands.
It goes without saying that a print magazine probably doesn’t fit into that vision, and might even be viewed as competition.
The end of inflight magazines was inevitable
Back in 2015, we saw SkyMall file for bankruptcy, which was probably a foreshadowing of what was to come. SkyMall was a thing for so long because people literally had nothing to do on planes.
Sure, you may not have boarded a plane thinking you needed the world’s largest wine glass, a garden gnome, a glow in the dark toilet seat, or a foot tanner, but damnit, by the time you landed, you were considering a full redesign of your home, as well as your life’s priorities.
Inflight magazines survived for a long time because they made money with advertising rather than actually selling anything, and they could claim a high circulation. But at this point it’s hard to imagine there’s any future for inflight magazines:
- We’re increasingly seeing airlines offer streaming entertainment and Wi-Fi
- Even without that, people bring their own entertainment, in the form of smartphones and tablets, which weren’t nearly as common a decade ago
- With people more concerned about touching dirty surfaces, many would avoid a magazine that has been sitting in a seat back for weeks
- Inflight magazines aren’t great for the environment, both in terms of the paper they’re printed on, and in terms of the added fuel burn from the weight of them, and that’s increasingly a concern for airlines
When you combine all those factors, it’s not surprising to see airlines eliminate these, one-by-one. As we can see, United actually kept around inflight magazines longer than American and Delta. However, with United now launching a digital media network, it’s even less surprising that this is finally being cut.
While there’s general talk of switching inflight magazines to digital, I’m not surprised this hasn’t really caught on. I think most people read inflight magazines not because they’re necessarily that interested, but rather because they have nothing better to do. If people are going to access them from a smartphone or laptop, chances are that there’s something else they’d rather read first.
Bottom line
United Airlines is discontinuing Hemispheres Magazine, marking the end of inflight magazines at the “big three” US carriers. Hemispheres Magazine was always well done, so I’m kind of sad to see this development. At the same time, I’m not surprised, especially with United’s new digital media network.
I feel bad for the people (presumably) losing their jobs over this, and there’s also something sentimental about inflight magazines, which I’ll miss. When I’d fly well over a decade ago I remember reading these magazines cover to cover, and always looking forward to a new issue coming out.
What do you make of United discontinuing Hemispheres Magazine?
Back when United was literally on the ropes and close to closing its doors, Hemispheres stood by them and continued to provide their magazine for free. So much for loyalty, right, United?
Sad day. Bad decision by United to discontinue Hemispheres
I never miss badly produced inflight magazines, but I sure do miss well-produced ones. I don't like being forced into digital, especially since the personalisation of the ads that digital entertainment network will serve are almost always from information I'd rather them not harvest from my online activity. I also miss print magazines in general... Digital can reproduce the information, but it can never replicate the tactile experience of touching and seeing things in that...
I never miss badly produced inflight magazines, but I sure do miss well-produced ones. I don't like being forced into digital, especially since the personalisation of the ads that digital entertainment network will serve are almost always from information I'd rather them not harvest from my online activity. I also miss print magazines in general... Digital can reproduce the information, but it can never replicate the tactile experience of touching and seeing things in that kind of way. Same with books. They're *real* and immediate and 3-dimensional in ways that digital screens and AI-generated crap will never be. But here we are.
Where oh where will "It's Just Lunch!" advertise now? In all seriousness, there is a utility to the magazine (route maps, food/bev options, airport maps, etc) that feel necessary, especially for Boomer passengers. I assume they'll need to go back to printing food/bev menus (I can't see them not having an explicit explanation of what's available, primarily b/c it's a revenue center for United), so the actual cost reduction isn't as large as one would think.
I stopped reading it when they retired the "Ask the Captain" column. Then again, I still miss Channel 9, that's probably never coming back...
It seems many will miss the route maps. Flightconnections . com has it all. Happy browsing. For those who will miss the “three days in” article I’d suggest chatting with chatgpt for personalized itineraries. The world changes, people!
I’m happy I was able to take a few home on my last couple of United flights. I always loved looking at the fleet page and seeing the additions of new aircraft but also sad to see some go.
That’s horrible. I loved United Hemispheres as it was my favorite airline magazine. I have lots of old issues, I guess I’ll keep reading “3 Days” with those issues. Shame on United, you should keep Hemispheres going as I’m a loyal United MP
I used to work in sales for a very large printer. We had the Delta monthly magazine as well as Skymall catalog. Both were print runs of hundreds of thousands each month.
On a separate note American Way came out twice a month. The other airlines were monthly.
https://www.theonion.com/struggling-american-airlines-to-shutter-air-passenger-s-1819574223
The fact that people actually waste time on that site is a testament of how messed up the world is right now. But Tim Dunn would make a great editor there.
I'm very curious the profitability (or not) of Hemispheres.
United thought enough of it as part of the brand that during peak Covid they were mailing them to elites (at least as a 1K at the time I would get one mailed monthly by United for free).
Really sad for it to go - mostly because I would of course steal one a month and collect them to feed my nascent kleptomania.
Most airlines explicitly allow you to take the on board magazine with you. Was UA different?
No, not at all. Was more joking
Sad but like the Walkman, floppy disc and disco ball - its time had come. I really enjoyed the magazine because it inspired me to take more flights! I would often cut out the articles and scan them so that i had some ideas of where to go next and what to do. I would also always look at the flight route maps - mostly international - and imagine where I would take a trip...
Sad but like the Walkman, floppy disc and disco ball - its time had come. I really enjoyed the magazine because it inspired me to take more flights! I would often cut out the articles and scan them so that i had some ideas of where to go next and what to do. I would also always look at the flight route maps - mostly international - and imagine where I would take a trip to next. Wow, new route here?! Need to investigate that as a possible trip and score my 100k miles and 1k status for next year....I guess that era ended too!
It's all Biden's fault....
I wish the three perfect days for all cities are stored somewhere in digital format
Interestingly, Allegiant maintains a magazine... Allways
I enjoyed the Three Days In and the interviews.
Skymall is back online
This is probably one of the very few United airline’s good things, but now they are taking it away.
I've always enjoyed reading the in-flight magazines from various carriers back in the day (the Alaska magazine was my favourite), and am going to pour one of for the Hemispheres. Times have changed for sure and it's time to start loading up on reading materials on the tablet before traveling. Thank goodness there are various options for e-readers.
When I fly Hawaiian, I actually enjoy reading their inflight magazine as it provides articles and tidbits about restaurants and activities I may actually enjoy. My favorite poke place on Oahu was found via their magazine (Kahuku Superette on the North Shore). But, I think what's different is the magazine focues on a smaller geographic scale: I can consider activities and restaurants that aren't far from my destination. Whereas the articles written in magazines like...
When I fly Hawaiian, I actually enjoy reading their inflight magazine as it provides articles and tidbits about restaurants and activities I may actually enjoy. My favorite poke place on Oahu was found via their magazine (Kahuku Superette on the North Shore). But, I think what's different is the magazine focues on a smaller geographic scale: I can consider activities and restaurants that aren't far from my destination. Whereas the articles written in magazines like Hemispheres are more global in scale.
Hana Hou has always been a good in-flight magazine.
"You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate."
I, like the rest of the old guys on here, liked to look at the map and the fleet types. The beverage selection was nice also. Not being a movie fan I put the flight map on the screen and leave it on during the entire flight (I am looking at you AA) Does anyone remember when the FA's would walk down the isle with a handful of news papers and magazines you could borrow...
I, like the rest of the old guys on here, liked to look at the map and the fleet types. The beverage selection was nice also. Not being a movie fan I put the flight map on the screen and leave it on during the entire flight (I am looking at you AA) Does anyone remember when the FA's would walk down the isle with a handful of news papers and magazines you could borrow for the flight? Fortunately I live somewhere that has a minimal DL presence and don't have to endure old planes and glitzy Hollywood noise. Go for it TD
Sad to see it go. I think United also used to have a separate magazine, Rhapsody, specifically for long haul first and business class. I remember reading somewhere that Rhapsody quietly developed a strong reputation for surprisingly good content from prominent writers, too.
I know of another magazine for the modern, forward thinking gentleman that developed a strong reputation for surprisingly good content from prominent writers. Its pictures were better than Rhapsody's.
What about Leaders Magazine on the Japan and Guam routes. Are they keeping that around?
I believe klm still publishes the Holland Herald after 58 years.
I always took home, as souvenirs, the magazines from the more remote and exotic airlines.
As mentioned by others, I will really miss the route maps in the back of the magazines. The airport maps were very useful too. This information is not always readily available online; at least not in such an easy to read format. And yes, you guessed it, I'm an old guy.
The archive is still online, just like the August issue is: https://www.hemispheresmag.com/the-magazine/
Thanks!
It looks like the archive of the complete magazine goes back only to September 2020, but the archive of Three Perfect Days goes back farther:
https://www.hemispheresmag.com/three-perfect-days/
Note that Hemispheres was a re-brand of United Magazine, which was called Mainliner until 1982. So Hemispheres has a much longer legacy.
I’m glad my father was cremated, otherwise he’d be rolling in his grave. He was the editor of Mainliner magazine back in United go-go years in the 1960s.
It was called Vis-a-Vis for a little while in the late 1980s and early 1990s too, before they settled on Hemispheres.
"3 Perfect Days" was mostly about food, drink, and upscale hotels. Other [more] interesting things that a location offered were mostly mentioned in passing.
Still better than some inane celebrity's take on what to do in St. Louis over the weekend (looking at you, American).
It's a tragedy how much we have become dependent on digitalization. It bodes poorly for the future not just in aviation, but in the society generally. I fear for the days when the next generation will never know a life beyond the screen. Will miss this magazine, indeed, along with the glory days of United that are becoming further and further away with time.
Happy contrails Hemispheres! You saved me from boredom many times on United. I will miss studying the route map and dreaming of future travels, as well as the 3 perfect days articles. Less so the plastic surgery and matchmaker ads LOL
Maybe UA can take the money they saved from this move and put it into their catering budget? Just a thought…
This is awful. Where am I going to wipe my sky boogers now?
In your mouth, like you always do.
Where is P Buttigieg? He should shut down United unless they continue the magazine. I like the route maps. Those can occupy me for an hour or two.
covid killed seatback literature as airlines had no choice but to remove or frequently replace anything that passengers could touch.
Add in that seatback AVOD provides the entertainment that inflight seatback literature was supposed to provide and there is no market for seatback literature. While United is well behind Delta in getting seatback AVOD installed across its fleet, they recognize that people don't look at seatback literature when there are electronic alternatives.
Removing several hundred...
covid killed seatback literature as airlines had no choice but to remove or frequently replace anything that passengers could touch.
Add in that seatback AVOD provides the entertainment that inflight seatback literature was supposed to provide and there is no market for seatback literature. While United is well behind Delta in getting seatback AVOD installed across its fleet, they recognize that people don't look at seatback literature when there are electronic alternatives.
Removing several hundred pounds of weight that no one uses any more has a significant impact on operational performance
You really can't help yourself, can you?
I don't run from the facts.
United returned to restocking its inflight magazine after many other airlines realized they were dead during covid.
UA has failed to configure anywhere near the number of aircraft with seatback AVOD as they promised - and not just because of Boeing's delivery delays but because the supply chain was never capable of supplying as many AVOD systems for aircraft retrofits as UA said they would reconfigure.
No one...
I don't run from the facts.
United returned to restocking its inflight magazine after many other airlines realized they were dead during covid.
UA has failed to configure anywhere near the number of aircraft with seatback AVOD as they promised - and not just because of Boeing's delivery delays but because the supply chain was never capable of supplying as many AVOD systems for aircraft retrofits as UA said they would reconfigure.
No one reads in-flight magazines when there is AVOD on the aircraft.
I see that I was correct in my assessment.
Failed? They’re actively doing that. For someone who actively touts “i know the facts”, you really don’t know shit. Go back to OMAAT.
Tim, you contradict yourself again. Too high on cookie dough?
"covid killed seatback literature as airlines had no choice but to remove or frequently replace anything that passengers could touch."
"people don't look at seatback literature when there are electronic alternatives."
So if COVID forced airline to remove high touch item.
They should remove AVOD which everyone touches, and leave the magazine, which no one touches, according to you.
OUCH!
as usual, your incessant need to try to argue and belittle only results in you proving you have no common sense.
It is impossible to efficiently sanitize paper esp. in a bound format and return it to service which is why airlines removed all printed material except for the required emergency card during covid.
In contrast, the AVOD screen just like every other customer contact surface was disinfected including w/ mists. Many airlines handed out...
as usual, your incessant need to try to argue and belittle only results in you proving you have no common sense.
It is impossible to efficiently sanitize paper esp. in a bound format and return it to service which is why airlines removed all printed material except for the required emergency card during covid.
In contrast, the AVOD screen just like every other customer contact surface was disinfected including w/ mists. Many airlines handed out wipes which customers could disinfect the surfaces around them and many did wipe down the AVOD system
Walk away and quit arguing until you think before you type.
You really are oblivious as to why you are the laughing stock of this and other websites.
Tim.
You are really a laughing stock.
You are the one with no common sense.
"It is impossible to efficiently sanitize paper"
"Many airlines handed out wipes which customers could disinfect the surfaces around them and many did wipe down the AVOD system"
ROFL, Tim. How about using the wipes to WIPE YOUR HANDS after reading not wipe the magazine itself.
"Walk away and quit arguing until you think before you type."
Keep saying that in the mirror.
“SkyMall was a thing for so long because people literally had nothing to do on planes.”
Not a fan of reading, eh?
Sad to see it end. My memory of it will be during COVID actually, when United mailed copies of it. Seeing it in my mailbox, it was a sad yet hopeful reminder to look forward to when travel resumes again.
I also thought it was a nice brag about United's global network the last few years. While AA could do 3 days in El Paso or Cancun, UA could do the world.
I can't tell you how many times I'd grab Hemispheres just to scan the fold out route maps and figure out what food/beverage choices I should have. With spotty or non-existent internet at times (especially on RJ's) I'll miss this thing. But yea, it was just a matter of time.
As others posted previously, the fun of reading an inflight magazine was checking the route map, airplane types etc. I am not interested in digital content, inflight magazine was an opportunity to rest the eyes on a paper print.
In January ANA still had their Tsubasa in printed version, hopefully they will keep it for some more months, when I fly with them again. In Europe those are long gone.
I guess I am old as well :-)
The Michael Scott line where he asks Pam if she had changed the address for his 'American Way' subscription still cracks me up.
For someone like me who doesn’t watch a lot of TV or have the time to read reviews beforehand the most useful read in the seat back magazine was the film & TV recommendations. Oh well more magazines will go missing from the lounges.
Hemispheres certainly beat Vis-à-Vis (anyone else remember that?) from when they attempted to integrate with Hertz and Westin under the Allegis banner in the 80s.
I'm old.
Very sad indeed. I was really pleased when United brought the magazine back in print after the (understandable) pandemic era "reducing touchpoints." I totally get the lack of the business case in this day and age but still a qualitative loss.
My favorite parts of an airline magazine in general is the route map and types of aircraft they operate. And United does have an extensive route network. (I'm particularly interested in their Island Hopper). I also enjoy browsing the duty free catalogue for the model aircraft.
Speaking of the Island Hopper, can we see a review in the future?! :D I don't think you've done an Island Hopper before IIRC.
Terrible. One of the distractions on board that distinguished United. I have no interest in seeing digital content, and this Kinective Media thing is a joke- I dont want enhanced advertisements.
Unfortunately, they don't care what you want.