Gazette grounded, guide takes off
Following the bad news, Crossair's in-flight magazines also face an uncertain future
After the bad news, the Crossair in-flight magazines are also facing an uncertain futureBy Markus Knöpfli The monthly Swissair Gazette is at an end, followed in December by a slimmed-down service magazine entitled The Guide. The Crossair in-flight magazines CrossTalk and CrossTravel are doing better. However, until a new Crossair Board of Directors is elected, their future remains open.
From December 1, air travelers will find The Guide on board Swissair aircraft instead of the Swissair Gazette. The 52-page magazine contains the service section of the previous Gazette (destinations, travel tips, services, radio and video program). The slimmed-down magazine will only be published twice as a double issue (December/January and February/March) with a print run of 30,000 or 50,000 copies, says Erich Hirschi, head of the previous Gazette publisher Target Publishing. The second issue can still be booked, with a 1/4 page costing 4f or bw 16000 francs. A 30-second spot in the on-board video, also produced by Target Publishing, costs 6350 francs.
And what is the situation at Crossair, which publishes the two in-flight magazines CrossTravel (for business travelers) and CrossTalk (for leisure travelers) through its own department? "We are continuing as normal for the time being," says publishing director Regina Maréchal. Caution is advised, because the new Board of Directors to be elected on December 6 could at least change the names of the two magazines. Nevertheless, Maréchal and her team are working towards the politically predetermined version 26/26.
As a result, NewCrossTalk, which is published ten times a year, will more than double its circulation from April 1, 2002 - to 170000 copies, as the gazette blissfully announces. From December, the magazine will also have an intercontinental focus, with a portrait of
Rio de Janeiro instead of "just" European portraits.
Maréchal's team is also responsible for another new task: with the new Embraer aircraft and the takeover of the Swissair long-haul aircraft, in-flight entertainment and the corresponding marketing of advertising time are being introduced at (New) Crossair. As much is still up in the air, it is not yet possible to communicate prices. The situation is different for magazines: There the prices are fixed, but with reservations.
Difficult times for Target Publishing
From December 1, air travelers will find The Guide on board Swissair aircraft instead of the Swissair Gazette. The 52-page magazine contains the service section of the previous Gazette (destinations, travel tips, services, radio and video program). The slimmed-down magazine will only be published twice as a double issue (December/January and February/March) with a print run of 30,000 or 50,000 copies, says Erich Hirschi, head of the previous Gazette publisher Target Publishing. The second issue can still be booked, with a 1/4 page costing 4f or bw 16000 francs. A 30-second spot in the on-board video, also produced by Target Publishing, costs 6350 francs.
And what is the situation at Crossair, which publishes the two in-flight magazines CrossTravel (for business travelers) and CrossTalk (for leisure travelers) through its own department? "We are continuing as normal for the time being," says publishing director Regina Maréchal. Caution is advised, because the new Board of Directors to be elected on December 6 could at least change the names of the two magazines. Nevertheless, Maréchal and her team are working towards the politically predetermined version 26/26.
As a result, NewCrossTalk, which is published ten times a year, will more than double its circulation from April 1, 2002 - to 170000 copies, as the gazette blissfully announces. From December, the magazine will also have an intercontinental focus, with a portrait of
Rio de Janeiro instead of "just" European portraits.
Maréchal's team is also responsible for another new task: with the new Embraer aircraft and the takeover of the Swissair long-haul aircraft, in-flight entertainment and the corresponding marketing of advertising time are being introduced at (New) Crossair. As much is still up in the air, it is not yet possible to communicate prices. The situation is different for magazines: There the prices are fixed, but with reservations.
Difficult times for Target Publishing
Target Publishing was a publishing house specializing in in-flight magazines. In addition to Swissair, other crisis airlines (LTU, Sabena, Balair) were also among Target's customers. This is now over. Because Swissair also holds a 45 percent stake in Target Publishing, the publishing house was included in the airline's debt restructuring proceedings. The 35 employees have not seen a salary since September, and co-owner Erich Hirschi has had to give them and himself notice of termination. It remains to be seen how and whether the company will continue.
