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You are here: Articles > Aviation articles > Read on the plane #2
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Article overview Review of "AirLines", WestJet's inflight magazine. Originally published in February 2002. |
 hen was the last time you "actually" read the magazine in your seat back pocket? Now, when was the last time you took that magazine home with you, as the cover often indicates you? Finally, when was the last time you subscribed to one of those magazines? Ask yourself these questions, and you may start wondering if inflight magazines accomplish their mission: provide light entertainment for a short or long flight. A succesful mission... sometimes.This month, we review the magazine of WestJet Airlines  . Many could easily call WestJet the Canadian and successful variant of Southwest Airlines: low fares, fun attitude, 737 fleet... Stats
Sample issue: September 2001, obtained by mail from the airline.Number of pages: 48 57% Articles (mostly Canadian destinations) 4% Airline content (1 page fleet and destinations) 33% Outside advertising (businesses all around Canada) 6% In-house advertising (nonstops from Hamilton, lunches) Language: 100% English (only the cover is bilingual) Size: Standard (US Letter) Periodicity: Semi-monthly (11 issues/year) Contact: 3600A 12th St. NE, Calgary, AB, T2E 6N1, Canada Web: www.airlinesmagazine.com Publisher: Zulu Publications Inc. ContentAirLines is truly a Canadian magazine. Almost everything it its content is about Canada. Destinations from British Columbia to Ontario are covered, and even the cover article about award-winning singer Diana Krall has a Canadian touch (Krall is from Nanaimo, BC). The only thing not very Canadian is that there is no content in French. I suppose the airline will correct this situation if it is planning on flying to Montreal sometime. There are two more general articles: one on security breaches on the Internet ("Techno Files") and the other on fair-trade coffee ("Business"). The advertising is mostly about local businesses in many of WestJet's destinations, mostly in Alberta and British Columbia. If you forgot to book a hotel room before take-off, there is no doubt that AirLines will be very helpful, no matter your destination: many of the ads are for hotels. The in-house advertising is minimal, but very colorful. Surprisingly, there are only two pages about the airline itself. One of them, at first sight, looks more like an in-house commercial: it is on page 7, and very simply features a route map, and a description of the fleet. The other is a short letter-like article about dangerous goods in passenger luggage. The pictures vs. text proportion is good. The text, however, seems a bit small and not very spaced at first sight, but after starting to read the articles, one gets used to it very easily. The magazine is very thin and easy to handle. From a low-fare airline with a 737 fleet and a short-hop itinerary, this is what I expect. AppreciationThere are just enough articles and just enough interesting content to keep you busy. I would definitely read this magazine if I flew on WestJet Airlines. Would I take it home with me? That is the question. I would probably have time to read the magazine in full before landing! ... or at least read MOST of it. | |||
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 Magazine cover: WestJet Airlines, scanned by Sergio Ortega. This website does not endorse or have any affiliation whatsoever with the airlines distributing these inflight magazines, and the comments or opinions concern strictly the quality of the magazines and not an evaluation of the airlines themselves. © 1998-2008, airodyssey.net. All rights reserved. Disclaimer, trademarks, privacy policy. | |||
