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Frequent Flyers Are Highly Engaged With In-Flight Media According To Arbitron
Research Measures Ability of Airline Magazines and Video to Reach Affluent Americans

Download the Arbitron Inflight Media Study

NEW YORK, June 8, 2006 – Airline in-flight media, such as in-flight magazines and television programming, are widely read or viewed by frequent flyers, according to a new custom research study by Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB).

According to the new Arbitron In-flight Media Study, conducted on behalf of Pace Communications, the publisher of the airline magazines for Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways, 80 percent of frequent flyers have read or looked through their airline’s in-flight magazine in the past month. Seventy-one percent of frequent flyers say that because they are on a plane, they read the in-flight magazine more closely than magazines they pick up at other locations. More than half, or 52 percent, who typically take flights that offer television programming, say they usually watch it and 44 percent have watched in-flight television in the past month.

The new study examines the effectiveness of in-flight magazines and television as marketing tools to reach affluent travelers. Its goal was to measure the frequent flyer’s level of engagement with these media and determine their performance as advertising vehicles.

The current study serves as a follow-up to Arbitron’s 2004 report, The Arbitron Airport Advertising Study, which profiled the size, characteristics and behavior of airline travelers and most specifically, the cream of the airport crop—frequent flyers. Frequent flyers are defined as the affluent and upscale Americans who tke multiple trips per year and account for a majority of airport advertising impressions. For this new study, Arbitron focused exclusively on frequent flyers, the target for most in-flight media, and delved deeply into their relationship with airline magazines and video entertainment offerings.

“Our research into frequent airline travelers shows that aside from being upscale professionals, they are also busy people who devote less time to traditional media and are more likely to use on-demand media devices that may limit commercial exposure,” said Diane Williams, Arbitron Product Manager, Custom Research. “These new findings show that in-flight media such as airline magazines and television place traditional advertising in front of these elusive consumers at a time when they have fewer distractions, making these forms of media highly attractive to advertisers.”

Highlights from The Arbitron In-flight Media Study include:

The majority of frequent flyers read the airline’s in-flight magazine. Nearly all (91 percent) of frequent flyer club members have read or looked through their airline’s in-flight magazine in the past six months and 80 percent have read it in the past month. Forty-six percent of frequent flyers have looked through the airline magazine on at least three of their past four flights.
On a general flight, airline magazine readers estimate they spend an average of 31 minutes with the publication. Those who had read the current month’s magazine estimated they spent more than 39 minutes reading or looking through that issue.
Most readers feel they pay closer attention to the in-flight magazine because they are on a plane. Seventy-one percent of airline magazine readers agree (strongly or somewhat) that because they are on a plane, they read the in-flight magazine more closely than magazines they pick up at other locations.
Sixty-eight percent of readers have acted upon information they saw in the in-flight magazine; 64 percent have written down information or ripped out a page to keep and half have taken the magazine with them upon exiting the plane.
Fifty-three percent of those who read the current issue of the in-flight magazine remembered seeing an advertisement for Bose without the benefit of a visual aid. Recall of the advertisement rose to 74 percent when copy from the ad was displayed.
More than half of frequent flyers usually watch the in-flight television programming when it is available. Fifty-two percent of airline club members who take flights that offer television programming usually watch it; 44 percent have watched in-flight TV programs in the past month. Thirty-six percent of those who take flights that offer video entertainment have watched it on at least three out of their past four flights.
Forty-nine percent of those who had watched in-flight television programming in the past month could recall seeing a commercial for either Panasonic Toughbook or International Hotels Group.

“Pace is the leader in identifying unique opportunities for advertisers throughout the travel process and delivering the affluent, decision-making business and leisure traveler the top-notch entertainment and information they want - and when they want it ,” said Craig Waller, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of Pace Communications. “Arbitron's research is strong validation that in-flight media is a highly effective means of reaching and engaging this audience.”

How this study was conducted
Arbitron conducted the survey, on behalf of Pace Communications, with a total of 2,259 airline travelers in the United States between April 4-14, 2006 . The study was designed to determine the engagement levels for airline magazines and in-flight video programming among frequent flyers. Members of the airline reward programs for Delta SkyMiles, United Airlines Mileage Plus and US Airways Dividend Miles were invited by email to participate. Only members who had flown at least once since March 1, 2006 were permitted to take the survey and each respondent was rewarded 500 program miles for their participation. The survey was administered over the Internet and respondents were shown images from the March issues of Delta Sky, US Airways Magazine and United Hemispheres. Video clips from Delta and United’s in-flight video programming were also used during the survey.