SkyMall, home to the weird products that could only be sold to the captive audience of an airplane, is no longer. The parent company of the seat-back staple, Xhibit (no, we're not trying to refer to the rapper) filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy yesterday.
What caused the company's demise? Now that passengers are able to browse their phones and tablets before, during, and after the flight, they're far less apt to browse the pages of the SkyMall. Now, with more airlines including in-flight internet service, people can also browse stores they actually want to shop during their flight—instead of feel pressured to cop things like velvet rasta hats and man-spanx from the classic airline catalog.
Sure it was a bizarre mainstay of every airplane experience, but considering you could buy everything from housewares to grizzly bear slippers, it's almost said to see SkyMall go the way of no-fee checked baggage and free in-flight snacks.
[via Wall Street Journal]
