It is a dark day for air travelers everywhere. SkyMall, the in-flight magazine you browse because it’s slightly more entertaining than staring thoughtlessly into the abyss, has filed for bankruptcy.
The company behind the in-flight catalog SkyMall filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday, a victim of evolving rules and technology that now lets airline passengers keep their smartphones and tablets powered up during flight.
SkyMall LLC, its parent company Xhibit Corp. , and several other affiliates are seeking a bankruptcy-court supervised sale of their assets, according to papers filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix
In court papers, acting Chief Executive Scott Wiley cited a “crowded, rapidly evolving and intensely competitive” retail environment as the reason for the quarterly publication’s recent nosedive.
“With the increased use of electronic devices on planes, fewer people browsed the SkyMall in-flight catalog,” Mr. Wiley said.
You hear that? You killed SkyMall because you couldn’t put down your goddamn phone for a few minutes and order gaudy lawn ornaments. Don’t you feel like a dick for playing Candy Crush when you could have been buying the New York Times’ front page from the day you were born?
I hope you’re happy with yourself.
SkyMall’s revenue dropped from $33.7 million in 2013 to $15.8 million in 2014. That is an astounding drop but it’s also a little confusing. Electronic device use on planes didn’t just start in 2014, so I’m not sure how they can attribute a catastrophic fall in sales to people playing Angry Birds and texting “taking off” to their loved ones.
So, I beg of you, if you care at all about SkyMall, now is the time to order some stuff you absolutely don’t — or will ever — need. If everyone chips in just a little bit, maybe we can save this thing.
[H/T: Wall Street Journal]