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SkyMall parent company files for bankruptcy, CEO blames electronic devices
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/skymall-parent-company-files-for-bankruptcy-ceo-blames-electronic-devices/SkyMall LLC, the company behind those absurd in-flight shopping catalogs that are often stuffed in the seat-back pocket on many airlines, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Phoenix on Thursday. SkyMall is owned by Xhibit Corp., whose CEO Scott Wiley said that the growth of electronic devices and in-flight Wi-Fi threatened the profitability of the marketing rag.
Most people know SkyMall as a catalog full of wacky or ridiculous products to flip through while you're trapped in a tube hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour. Some of the products made dubious claims (like this hiccup stick), others were fantastic and borderline nuts/genius (like the SkySaver). Other things were really only for the tackiest person you know (like this NFL high heel wine holder). Some of the electronic stuff was actually kind of neat, though (in recent years I noted an uptick in robots and drones in SkyMall's illustrious pages).
In its bankruptcy filing (PDF), Xhibit wrote, “Historically, the SkyMall catalog was the sole in-flight option for potential purchasers of products to review while traveling. With the increased use of electronic devices on planes, fewer people browsed the SkyMall in-flight catalog.” The company added that the Federal Aviation Administration's recent decision to allow gadget use during takeoff and landing exacerbated the problem, as did the increasing number of airlines that offer in-flight Wi-Fi.
On Edit 11 whacky Sky Mall items
http://www.businessinsider.com/skymalls-most-ridiculous-items-2015-1
18 replies
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OUR DOGS NEED LIPS!! WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN??
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]
Although that's what happens when 400 people control 1/2 the world's wealth. 
That would be my guess!
Although this has to be my favorite Sky Mall item by far:
