• by Erik Sass , November 24, 2014

Time Inc. is the exclusive magazine launch partner for JetBlue’s new Fly-Fi Hub, which is providing free WiFi service to passengers during its beta period, the companies announced today. The deal gives Time Inc. access to the proverbial “captive audience” as part of the onboard WiFi service, alongside a number of other content providers.

Under the terms of the agreement, Time Inc. and JetBlue will offer passengers the option to buy digital editions of Time Inc. monthly magazines, including InStyle, Real Simple, Southern Living, Essence, Health, Travel + Leisure, People en Español and Golf when they use JetBlue’s free WiFi.

Digital editions of Time Inc.’s weekly magazines will be available for purchase beginning next year.

JetBlue has struck similar deals with content providers, including Fox, HarperCollins, National Geographic, Coursera and Rouxbe, offering a range of text, video, and audio content including news, entertainment, music, literature and education.

Jamie Perry, JetBlue’s director of product development, stated: “Not only are we the only airline to offer free WiFi to customers, with our new portal, we are now taking it to the next level and provide endless hours of entertainment whether you want to read, learn or just relax watching a TV show. To make this a reality, we have partnered with some of the most respected content providers, with plenty more to come in 2015.”

The free option includes Web surfing and basic Internet access, while a premium broadband option is available for purchase for data-intensive applications like streaming movies.

As part of the rollout, on Thanksgiving Day Verizon is sponsoring free access to movies and TV shows to all JetBlue passengers (even if they aren’t Verizon subscribers) through its FiOS Preview app.