FORT WORTH, TX—Claiming the drain on time and resources
involved in operating an airline was preventing them from pursuing their
true goals as a publisher, officials at American Airlines announced
Tuesday they would discontinue air service in order to concentrate on
writing and editing American Way magazine. “Our first love is and always has been our travel and lifestyle magazine—in fact, distributing American Way is the reason we first got into air travel back in 1930,” said former American Airlines CEO and current American Way
editor-in-chief Thomas Horton. “Sadly, the publishing industry is
changing, and we can no longer afford to use the seat-back pockets of a
major international airline to maintain our print circulation. It’s
simply not a cost effective way to run our magazine.” The corporate
refocusing is expected to be the most influential change to the travel
industry since 1991, when Pan Am Airways ceased operations to
concentrate on its music career.
