May 7 |
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Hot Topic:
This Is Such a Good Idea I Wish We Had Thought of It!
Source: AIRFAX.com
If you have ever gotten onboard an airplane and been forced to read yesterday or the day's before news then you will like this Hot Topic about NewspaperDirect Inc. The problem is simply time - it takes time to ship a newspaper, say the London Times, down to Bahrain from London so that inevitably the newspapers arrive the next day but are reporting the previous day's news. Let's face it; newspapers have about the same spoilage rate as fresh fish. By cutting deals with some 175 publishers, newspapers in PDF format will now be shipped out over the Internet to their first airline customer, Qatar Airways, on a daily basis. Using special software at each end of the transmission, two high-speed printers turnout some 500-600 papers daily on an 11"x17" format (half newspaper size) and are sent to flights as a value-added service to premium class passengers.
The logical question here is - why not take the PDF and forward it to airline lounges, IFE systems, and passengers? We put that question to Richard K. Miller, VP Sales & Marketing of NewspaperDirect, and he stated the first logical step is to get the newspaper distribution network up and running on airlines. It was obvious that future targets could include electronic delivery, including an Internet portal, and possibly even electronic subscriptions for travelers. The Qatar Airways project was secured with the assistance of their Middle East partner, Todaily, and Mr. Miller expects to complete more sales in that region.
Presently, NewspaperDirect serves over 300 customers, which include hotels, cruise ships, business jet service providers, and now airlines. We expect this idea to catch on in the printed and the electronic format.
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