The Revival of the Inflight Magazine

Between 2024 and 2026, a run of airlines outside the United States quietly rebuilt what the American majors discontinued. This is what actually happened, and why.

Written by Sunil Kalia, founder of inflightmagazines.com, a digital platform that brings inflight magazine content to a global audience beyond the flight.

This article discusses the revival of the iconic inflight magazine. Written from the perspective of inflightmagazines.com, an online directory founded by a former British Airways passenger experience specialist with over 15 years in cabin product and service development, including the Concorde and First Class brands, it draws on verified sources to document a format that has shaped the passenger travel experience for more than seven decades.

Key takeaways

• Between 2020 and 2024, the three largest US legacy carriers all ended their print inflight magazines: Delta halted Sky in 2020, American retired American Way in 2021 after 55 years, and United's Hemispheres printed its final issue in September 2024 after 32 years (AirlineGeeks; Mighty Travels).

• Over the same window, at least five major non-US airlines put their print magazines back on board: easyJet inflight magazine Traveller in July 2024, Philippine Airlines' Mabuhay in October 2025, Etihad's Beyond, Cebu Pacific's Smile, and Singapore Airlines' SilverKris in April 2026 (InPublishing; AvGeek Philippines; Desert Prose; Ink Global).

• Ink Global, the London-headquartered publisher behind most of these returns, reaches 93 million easyJet passengers a year through Traveller alone (InPublishing), and has historically produced titles that reach 656 million passengers a year across 25 airlines (Freeport Press).

• The relaunched titles share three structural features: an integrated digital counterpart on the airline's own domain, a lower publication frequency than the pre-COVID monthly, and closer editorial alignment with the airline's brand and retail platforms.

• The revival is concentrated in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa, where full-service carriers see the print magazine as part of a premium onboard experience rather than a cost line to be cut.

easyJet Inflight Magazine - Traveller - August 2026

Why are airlines bringing back inflight magazines?

Airlines are bringing back inflight magazines because a captive cabin remains the single most valuable environment a travel brand can advertise or publish in, and no digital substitute has matched its engagement.

Between 2020 and 2023, most major carriers paused or cancelled their print titles for hygiene, cost and sustainability reasons. From 2024 onwards, a distinct group of full-service and low-cost carriers concluded that a redesigned print magazine - integrated with a modern digital platform - still returned more in brand equity, advertising revenue and passenger dwell-time than it cost to produce. The clearest articulation of this argument comes from Michael Keating, founder and CEO of Ink Global, the world's largest travel media company.

In an April 2026 LinkedIn post announcing the return of SilverKris, Keating described the pattern as "the 6-year bounce back", writing: "The industry narrative quickly became 'digital first', until marketers realised that in a captive environment at 32,000 feet, nothing engages quite like a beautifully produced, high-quality print magazine" (LinkedIn - Michael Keating).

Which inflight magazines have returned since 2024?

The following titles have returned to print between July 2024 and mid-2026, in chronological order.

Airline	Inflight Magazine	Return Date	Hiatus Length	Publisher
easyJet	Traveller	July 2024	4 Years	Ink Global
Philippine Airlines	Mabuhay Magazine	October 2025	5 Years	PAL
Etihad Airways	Beyond	2025 - 2026	Post-pandemic pause	Ink Global
Cebu Pacific	Smile	2025 - 2026	Post-pandemic pause	Ink Global
Singapore Airlines	SilverKris	March 2026	Post-pandemic pause	Ink Global

Malaysia Airlines' Going Places is the outlier that predates this wave: Ink relaunched it in February 2016 and expanded distribution across the wider Malaysia Airlines group during the pandemic period (Economy Traveller; Ink Global - Going Places goes even further). It is often cited by Ink as the template for the current generation of returns.

Which inflight magazines were discontinued during and after COVID?

The airlines that walked away from print were concentrated in the United States, and their closures spanned 2020 to 2024.

• Delta Air Lines - Sky Magazine. Halted in 2020 during the pandemic (AirlineGeeks).

• American Airlines - American Way. Retired in 2021 after 55 years in seatback pockets (AirlineGeeks).

• Qatar Airways - Oryx. Discontinued during the same window (Discontinued Inflight Magazines - inflightmagazines.com).

• United Airlines - Hemispheres. Final print issue September 2024, ending a 32-year run; the airline moved the title to a purely digital experience (AirlineGeeks; Mighty Travels).

• British Airways - High Life. Now digital-only, with print retained only in lounges and for Club members (Desert Prose).

The stated rationale in most of these decisions combined cost, weight and sustainability. Finnair, when it removed its print magazines three years earlier, estimated fuel savings of between 110 and 276 pounds per aircraft (AirlineGeeks). A fuller catalogue of these closures with dates and reasons where available is maintained on the site's Discontinued Inflight Magazines page.

Why did some airlines never stop printing?

Some airlines never stopped printing because the commercial and brand arithmetic of print on a full-service carrier differs from that on a US domestic short-haul.

Regional patterns are decisive here. Across Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa, the three regions with the highest concentration of active print inflight magazines and carriers continued to invest in print through the pandemic.

KLM's Holland Herald, first published in 1966, has run uninterrupted since (Discontinued Inflight Magazines). Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Lufthansa's long-haul service kept print copies onboard even as the American majors withdrew (AirlineGeeks). Qantas kept publishing throughout the pandemic, mailing copies to loyalty programme members while planes were grounded (Lonely Planet).

inflightmagazines.com directory of active and discontinued inflight magazines indicates a consistent pattern: full-service carriers on long-haul routes retained print at a much higher rate than short-haul US domestic operators. That regional and structural split is not a global preference for digital; it is what the 2020–2024 headlines obscured.

What does the new generation of inflight magazines look like?

The new generation of inflight magazines shares five structural features that distinguish it from the pre-COVID model.

Integration with the airline's own domain

The relaunched easyJet Traveller runs its digital counterpart at traveller.easyjet.com; SilverKris runs at silverkris.singaporeair.com; both surface the magazine's editorial within the airline's booking journey rather than as standalone media properties.

Lower publication frequency

SilverKris has moved from monthly to bimonthly; multiple other titles have shifted from monthly to quarterly. The change reduces production and logistics costs without abandoning the format.

Merged retail and editorial

 easyJet Traveller has folded its Eat.Drink.Shop retail sections into the main magazine; SilverKris now ships as a twin-cover publication paired with the KrisShop catalogue.

Redesigned editorial direction

Mabuhay has explicitly departed from the traditional "top destinations" format in favour of essays and photo essays on post-pandemic travel (AvGeek Philippines). The relaunched SilverKris is described by its publisher as "a full reset - rethinking the product, the positioning, and how SilverKris shows up for a global audience" (LinkedIn - Michael Keating).

Explicit advertising audience metrics

Ink Global markets easyJet Traveller on a stated reach of 93+ million passengers a year across 27 monthly issues from July 2024 to August 2026.

Michael Keating summarises the strategic shift as follows: "Airlines increasingly view their media assets as part of a wider passenger ecosystem that includes magazines, websites, apps, Wi-Fi, airport lounges, email, boarding passes, inflight entertainment and digital screens" (Desert Prose).

What is the commercial case for a print inflight magazine in 2026?

The commercial case rests on three facts about the cabin environment.

A cabin is a captive audience

Passengers on a two- to twelve-hour flight have limited access to competing media, particularly during take-off, landing, and any period without Wi-Fi. Ink Global's former editorial director (2015 - 2020), Kerstin Zumstein, put it plainly: "The inflight magazines we produce at Ink add an upgraded, emotional quality to the passenger experience that only print can offer" (Freeport Press).

Passengers are already in purchase mode

Ink's audience research has consistently shown that "passengers, whether business or leisure, are already planning their next trip while on a plane, so readers are open to aspirational travel content" (Freeport Press). This is why hotels, destination boards and premium retail brands remain the largest advertiser categories.

Print engagement is high, and reader intent now extends beyond the cabin

A 2024 industry poll cited by Printweek found around 88% of passengers pick up the print magazine to browse in-flight. The digital side of the equation used to be limited by fragmentation; each airline's magazine lived on its own site, if at all, which is the gap inflightmagazines.com was built to close. Ink's audience research has separately shown that passengers "are already planning their next trip while on a plane, so readers are open to aspirational travel content" (Freeport Press), and that this intent carries over to post-flight browsing.

Keating characterises the sector as "smaller than it was at its peak, but still healthy and more focused", noting that the surviving titles "tend to have a clearer purpose, stronger editorial quality, and closer integration with the airline's broader marketing strategy" (Desert Prose). The consolidation is real. So is the return.

Where is the revival happening, and where is it not?

The revival is happening in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Africa, but not in the United States.

Across the inflightmagazines.com site's regional directories, Asia-Pacific and Europe hold the highest concentrations of active print titles, followed by African carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines (Selamta) and Kenya Airways (Msafiri). The pattern maps to network type more than geography: full-service, long-haul, brand-led carriers retain and relaunch print; short-haul, low-cost, cost-led carriers do not, with easyJet's Traveller the informative exception, because Ink structured it as an integrated retail and editorial product rather than a traditional glossy.

None of the US legacy carriers has publicly announced a plan to return to print at the time of writing. That absence is itself evidence: the American market's shift is structural rather than temporary.

The bottom line

Between 2020 and 2024, the industry wrote the inflight magazine's obituary. It was premature.

Since July 2024, a distinct group of full-service and low-cost carriers led by easyJet, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Etihad, Cebu Pacific and Singapore Airlines — has demonstrated that a redesigned, less frequent, digitally integrated print product still earns its place onboard.

The revival is real, it is regional, and its most complete expression to date is the return of SilverKris.

For the fuller catalogue of what has come back, what remains in print, and what is gone for good, visit inflightmagazines.com for active and Discontinued Inflight Magazines.

Definitions

• Contract publisher: A specialist media company that produces an inflight magazine on behalf of an airline under a multi-year contract, typically taking on editorial, design, print production, distribution and often ad sales. Ink Global is the largest example globally.

• Media network (in an airline context): The full set of channels an airline uses to communicate commercially with passengers: magazine, website, app, IFE, Wi-Fi portal, boarding pass, email, lounge screens. The modern print magazine is designed to sit inside this network rather than replace it.

• Twin-cover format: A single magazine issue that combines two editorial products under two front covers; for example, the relaunched SilverKris pairs the travel magazine with the KrisShop retail catalogue.

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About inflightmagazines.com

inflightmagazines.com brings the iconic inflight magazine experience home to the café, to the commute, to wherever you are right now.

From seatback to sofa, on any device, we help travel-minded readers stay connected with destination and lifestyle content from airlines, hotels and attractions.

Consider it your Seat 1A boarding pass to a world of travel inspiration, destination spotlights, culture, lifestyle and fashion, curated across the genre in one place for the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are inflight magazines coming back after COVID?

Inflight magazines are coming back after COVID, but selectively. Between July 2024 and mid-2026, at least five significant titles returned to print: easyJet's Traveller, Philippine Airlines' Mabuhay, Etihad's Beyond, Cebu Pacific's Smile, and Singapore Airlines' SilverKris.

The revival is concentrated in Asia-Pacific and Europe. The three largest US legacy carriers, Delta, American and United, have ended their print titles and are unlikely to reverse.

Which airlines still have print inflight magazines in 2026?

Airlines that still have print inflight magazines in 2026 include Singapore Airlines (SilverKris), easyJet (Traveller), Malaysia Airlines (Going Places), Philippine Airlines (Mabuhay), Etihad (Beyond), Cebu Pacific (Smile), KLM (Holland Herald), Qantas (Qantas Magazine), Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Lufthansa on long-haul routes.

A full directory of active titles by region is maintained at inflightmagazines.com.

Who publishes most of the world's inflight magazines?

Ink Global publishes most of the world's largest inflight magazines. The London-headquartered contract publisher was founded by Michael Keating and produces titles for airlines including Singapore Airlines, easyJet, Malaysia Airlines, Etihad and, historically, United Airlines.

Ink has said its titles have reached 656 million passengers a year across 25 airlines (Freeport Press).

Why did US airlines get rid of their inflight magazines?

US airlines got rid of their inflight magazines to cut costs, reduce aircraft weight and fuel burn, and align with sustainability commitments made during the pandemic. Delta halted Sky in 2020, American retired American Way in 2021, and United ended print production of Hemispheres in September 2024 after 32 years (AirlineGeeks).

All three have since directed passengers to digital-only content on their own websites and inflight entertainment systems.

Do passengers still read inflight magazines?

Passengers still engage with inflight magazines at high rates onboard, and the readership no longer ends at the seatback pocket. A 2024 industry poll cited by Printweek found that around 88% of passengers pick up the print magazine to browse in-flight. Ink Global's editorial director, Kerstin Zumstein, has said passengers often take the magazines home from the aircraft to read later (Freeport Press).

inflightmagazines.com makes the inflight magazine available beyond the flight; anytime, anywhere.

What is the future of the inflight magazine?

The future of the inflight magazine is a smaller, more premium print product tightly integrated with an airline's website, app and retail platforms. Ink Global's Michael Keating has described the sector as "smaller than it was at its peak, but still healthy and more focused", with surviving titles carrying "a clearer purpose, stronger editorial quality and closer integration with the airline's broader marketing strategy" (Desert Prose).

The 2026 SilverKris relaunch is the current benchmark for what that looks like in practice.