Delta Redesigns Its In-Flight Magazine for Digitally Affluent Flyers

Delta Air Lines introduced a redesign of the in-flight magazine Sky this month.

It’s the first time that the content and format of the magazine have been reworked since the airline started working with its content publisher MSP Communications five years ago.

“We’ve been figuring out what role the magazine plays as a touch point with the customers,” says Jayne Haugen Olson, editor-in-chief of Sky magazine.

In an effort to reach the magazine’s 5.2 million monthly readers, Olsen’s editorial team is trying to tease more content out of every story idea. Examples include the behind-the-scenes videos that Sky puts online to complement print profiles.

But Olsen has bigger ambitions of turning the magazine’s monthly content into a resource for travelers. She says the team is currently working on a content management system that would allow readers to easily find everything the magazine has published about a place online.

“Wouldn’t it be great if a reader in Paris could call up a dining feature from a few months prior on her phone?”

The magazine is also introducing new features meant to cater to today’s travelers that are often doing business and having fun on the same trip.

“Engaged” content for travelers who feel they’re on the clock includes interviews with CEOs and innovators. On the flip side, “escape” content includes more lifestyle pieces on celebrities and fashion.

“Our brains are always on,” says Olsen. “But we also need a little escapism.”

Magazine readership is half male and half female, about 50 years old, well-educated, and well-traveled.