Advertisers have found a new way to grab the eyeballs of a captive audience: By advertising on the tray tables of airlines. That's right--drop your table, and you may see a pitch for VISA, Mercedes-Benz, the History Channel, or Bank of America. Our Savvy Traveler, Rudy Maxa, asks, "Why stop there?"

From the folks who first brought you in-flight food sales, America West Airlines, comes this new delivery vehicle for commercial messages. Profitable America West is merging with--and morphing into--US Airways. And because US Airways comes with a balance sheet bleeding red ink, the new America West/US Airways combo needs to grab any revenue source it can. Therefore, ads on tray tables.

Well, I say why not turn any plane into one, giant branding opportunity? Pull your window shade down and learn about a new breakfast cereal.

Plaster the aisle carpets with logos for insurance companies. Or, even, take a page from public broadcasting and permit companies to underwrite specific flights.

By far the happiest flights in the air are those headed from anywhere to Las Vegas. You won't find a more boisterous crowd--I'm always impresssed by the number of Vegas-bound passengers who suddenly think having a vodka tonic at 7:30 in the morning is a great idea.

So what better environment for any company to slip in a commercial? Right after the safety announcement, the pilot could add, "This flight is brought to you, in part, by the folks at the Pew Charitable Trust."

Or Archer Daniels Midland or Exxon or Caesar's Palace--anyone who wants to piggyback on the good vibes of a plane filled with people with high hopes.

Of course, flights OUT of Vegas are different creatures. In that case, the short list of possible sponsors might include loan companies or aspirin brands.

Seriously, though, I'm no purist who thinks airplanes ought to be commercial-frees temples. Airlines have been selling duty-free items on board international flights forever. They publish magazines filled with ads for fancy golf balls, negotiating seminars and rental cars. And airport walls are covered with illuminated billboards. Heck, I've sen entire airplanes painted over to promote Sea World or an NBA basketball team.

Airlines have handed out promotional samples of new products. And I recall years ago, when Dell Computer debuted its first lithium battery, it gave passengers on some American Airlines trans-continental flights laptops with the new batteries. Just to prove the computer wouldn't run out of juice on a four-hour flight.

And why not? Taxis mount advertising signs on roofs and seatbacks. Big-city bus companies plaster buses with advertising . Blimps fly overhead at football games advertising insurance and beer companies.

Now, I don't know if tray tables are The Next Big Thing. After all, when I put my tray table down, I usually put something on top of it. Like that meal I have to buy on most flights. But until someone thinks to stick tear-off magazine subscription coupons on the mirrors of the lavatories, tray tables will have to do.

October 05, 2005