Sojern Lines Up Boarding Pass Sponsors

With airlines now charging for things like food and bags, it was only a matter of time before the industry found a way to tap the revenue potential of partnering with complimentary services. Omaha-based, Sojern, hopes to change that having signed up all of the hub-and-spoke airlines to use their contextual advertising services.

The Arizona Republic reports that US Airways is the latest to include Sojern's ad inventory on their boarding pass documents. Current deals in place according to the article include "airport parking lots, Starbucks (a 2-for-1 coffee coupon to some destinations), audiobook retailer Audible.com and outdoor-gear retailer REI."

Kevin Jackson, US Airways' managing director of consumer and partnership marketing says that the airline is open to advertising that isn't "obtrusive" and says that the airline in the past has rejected proposals for ads on overhead bins.

"We think this is complementary to the customer and generates the revenue for us," he told the Arizona Republic.

Delta, which first started running ads in the summer of 2008, was the first airline to partner with Sojern.

Sojern's other cross-channel marketing solutions include an online network of travel websites as well as online and printed travel itineraries.