• by Lauren Berger , July 20, 2006

Where should advertisers look to reach the country’s most affluent business professionals? Up — way up. According to Arbitron’s In-Flight Media Study with Pace Communications, released this summer, in-flight magazines and TV programs serve as captive venues for frequent flyers’ attention. Unplugged from cell phones, the Internet, and on-demand media services, this typically hard-to-reach demographic is much more receptive to commercial messages while in the air.

Of the 2,259 Delta, United, and us Airways flyers surveyed, 91 percent had read or paged through an airline’s in-flight magazine within the past six months. Three-quarters of readers could recall a specific ad that had run in the current issue with visual aid; in addition, half of those who had recently watched in-flight video entertainment could recall specific advertisements they had seen.

As far as reaching business travelers goes, the sky really is the limit.