American Airlines magazines fly right

Oct 28, 2008 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- AMR | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines, distinguishes itself from the majority of airline magazines by not being a printed version of a sleeping pill, readers and critics say.

Now in its 42nd year of publication, the nation's in-flight magazine with the highest circulation -- 1.4 million copies issued twice a month -- features lively writing, timely features and interesting photography, layout and design. The same can be said of its sister publications, Celebrated Living, which is distributed in the business and first-class cabins, and Nexos, the Spanish language magazine distributed on South and Central American routes.

"Not only does American Way cater to the busy traveler, it has information that is really interesting -- the latest and greatest in sports, leisure and business," said Susan Gordon, president and group publisher of American Airlines Publishing. "We strive to be as influential and relevant as any publication you will find on the newstand."

American Way contains the usual fare of the airline magazines -- crossword puzzles,

aircraft fleet information, reviews of music, movies and television programming, airport plans, city tourist guides, travel tips, destination history and features, business traveler articles -- but also has an eclectic menu not found in most of its peer publications.

In the October issue, for instance, John Carroll, a contributing editor of American Way, writes about "Extreme Makeover: In the business world, image is everything, and corporate face-lifts can be billion-dollar question marks." Carroll discusses the not-always-successful corporate deep-think at Dell, Proctor & Gamble, British Petroleum, McDonald's and General Electric.

Chris Warren, a Los Angles-based freelancer, writes in "Voice Recognition" about the lucrative (and anonymous) art of voice-over actors in movie trailers.

Following the more usual cover story profile of Brooke Shields, Connecticut author Steve Kemper describes in "Sounds of the Underground" the fascinating music scene in the New York subways. The photographs by Emiliano Granado take you there.

"If you're an aspiring musician, there's no better venue for showcasing your talents than one that offers a guaranteed audience of more than five million people a day," Kemper writes, quoting numerous commuters who like music amid the tumult.

Gordon said Kemper's story and the accompanying photos capture the vibrancy and grit of New York's underground.

"We do a nice job of finding stories that are less typical," Gordon said. "And that's an example of a story with really great images."

Over the years, American Way's contributors have included Isaac Asimov, Norman Cousins, Richard Burton, Hugh Downs, Gloria Steinem and James A. Michener.

But sometimes, all it takes is an accurate restaurant review to win appreciation.

In "Letter Rip," the letters to the editor column, in the October issue, Sand Springs resident Sherry Morgan says she and her husband followed American Way's recommendation of Ffiona's as one of the best British food restaurants in London.

"My husband and I celebrated my birthday at Ffiona's on July 30 of this year," Morgan wrote. "The food was delicious! ...The service was excellent, and we appreciated the time that Ffiona devoted to making us feel at home; she even took pictures with us. It was a great celebration for me! American Way got this one right. Please continue to good work."

"I'm grateful they're here," a businesswoman says of the magazine. "They bring beauty into your life. You deal with your workday, the subway, the stress, and then to have this -- it's such a gift."

D.R. Stewart 581-8451 don.stewart@tulsaworld.com

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