More advertisers are flying high on airlines

As if ads in public bathrooms and elevators aren't enough, some airlines are looking at placing them all over the cabin, from tray tables and window shades to overhead bins and bulkheads.

Forget the discreet ad on the ticket jacket. The plane's cabin, once a sanctuary from commercialism, is being invaded by advertisers, which airlines see as another source of revenue amid high fuel costs and a slumping economy.

Even ad space on airsickness bags and soap dispensers is seen as fair game — at least by smaller carriers — at the right price.

"It's the next thing," said Terry Trippler, an aviation consultant who runs the Web site www.tripplertravel.com. "I could picture an airplane looking like a NASCAR," racing stock cars that are laden with sponsors' logos. "It's not out of the question that we may one day see a Target logo on the nose."

Spirit Airlines, a low-cost carrier based in Miramar, Fla., took onboard advertising to another level last week when it began placing ads paid by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism on overhead bins, on seat-back trays and along cabin walls. The ads on the bins, for instance, show symbols of island activities, including fishing tackle, a pair of flip-flops and snorkels.

The ads, promoting travel to the Bahamas, will be featured on the carrier's fleet of 28 planes for two months before other advertisers assume the space. The airline expects 7.8 million passengers this year.

The carrier is charging $5,000 to $2 million, depending on the size of the ad and how long it stays on the planes. The overhead bin and tray ads, which are like decals and can be replaced in about two hours, would appear on all 28 planes.

"We could have someone else do napkins or the drink cart," said Misty Pinson, the airline's spokeswoman. "We're talking about everything and anything, from drinking cups and soap dispensers to potentially even advertising on barf bags. You'll be surprised how many people take those with them."

Airlines have had advertising on planes in the past, but they typically were within the carrier's magazine or shown before an in-flight movie or TV show. But Ireland's trendsetting Ryanair Holdings began plastering ads all over its cabins several years ago to offset the low fares it was charging.

The trend was slow to catch on in the United States until US Airways Group began placing ads on tray tables and selling space on cocktail napkins. The Mesa, Ariz., airline said the so-called onboard ancillary ads generate about $20 million a year.

Skybus Airlines, which went out of business this year, sold space on its flight attendants' uniforms. It also was one of the first to place an ad on the outside of the plane.

But some larger carriers, including Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, balk at placing ads in the cabin.

"This has come up before, but no, we're trying to keep the in-flight environment pretty pure," Alaska spokeswoman Marianne Lindsey said. "There's enough things going on for customers with the in-flight magazine and what's going on in the airport. ... It will be interesting to see what the industry adopts."

Some airlines are worried about a passenger backlash. Six hours for a transcontinental trip is a long time to be inundated by advertising with no way to escape.

Spirit executives said few passengers had complained.

"Passengers that fly with Spirit have come to love the low fares we offer, and this is a way to offer those fares in tough economic times," Pinson said.

Seattle Times staff reporter Noelene Clark contributed to this report.