• WSJ (paid subscription required), Tuesday, December 20, 2005 11:45 AM

Airline passengers are a marketer's dream: an audience so captive they are literally strapped in and starved for entertainment. And most of them have a decent amount of disposable income. Marketers have long known the benefits of targeting this group, but it hasn't been easy. For one thing, many airlines have been reluctant to cut deals, fearing it may jeopardize their own brand. But that is changing in an era when airline are fighting off bankruptcy and looking desperately for ways to cut operating costs. As a result, the door is opening a bit wider for marketers. One company taking advantage of the development is MasterCard International, which is providing complimentary snacks, movie headphones and puzzles and games aboard nearly 600 American Airlines flights during the holiday-travel season. Even so, marketers need to be cautious because bombarding consumers with ads as they sit in the crowded coach section might cause a backlash, says David Melançon, president, North America, for Interpublic Group of Cos.' FutureBrand. "It's an opportunity that is fraught with peril," he says, adding that advertisers can avoid passengers' ill feelings by sticking to products or gifts that provide comfort or entertainment.

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