Jaunted

American Way chose poet, author, and actor Maya Angelou as its cover subject, representing the kind of universally-beloved figure that in-flight magazines tend to feature. It's unlikely you'll see a controversial or politically polarizing person like Barry Bonds or Hillary Clinton on the cover any time soon. In keeping with the season, they had a servicey, photo-rich feature on heritage turkeys, with tips on where to buy them and what to serve them with, along with some turkey trivia. Did you know that the biggest turkey ever raised tipped the scales at 86 pounds?

Elsewhere in the book were interesting articles on coffee, fancy coffee makers, waterproof digital cameras, wind power, Columbus, fashion in Antwerp, and a huge zoomorphic moose being built in Sweden. Save for a dorky bit on how to develop courage in your life and a letters page that could use some serious editing, it's quite a decent read, with an aesthetically pleasing design and eclectic mix of subject matter.

I'm especially fond of the advertisements in American Way (which can be seen in many other in-flight mags as well). There were pages of ads for steak houses around the country, complete with food-porn quality images of medium-rare cuts of beef. The churrascaria photos are particularly mouthwatering, with skewers of steak chunks wrapped in succulent fat. The focus on red meat is like a throwback to an earlier era, when a steak dinner at a restaurant was the very embodiment of the good life. A vacation calls for a splurge, right? Other ads seem targeted to the rich, as if they cram into coach-class seats. If I want to buy a Hawaiian slipper pendant with diamonds, or shares in a luxury yacht, or avail myself of the services of a high-end matchmaker, I'll know where to go.

But I always find myself lingering on the route map in the back of the book, just beyond the menu pages that tell you that they proudly use Mr. and Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix. American's route map is clear and easy to read, with particularly good coverage of North and South America. Did you know that Santiago is on approximately the same latitude as Montevideo? I didn't.

So even if somebody has already completed the sudoku puzzle in your issue, it's worth thumbing through American Way, if only for the turkey trivia. Please share your favorite or least favorite in-flight magazines in the comments.

[Photo: Victor Ozols]

Related Stories:
· American Way [Official Site]
· Magazine Coverage [Jaunted]