Departures (magazine)

Departures is an international digital and printed lifestyle magazine with a focus on luxury and travel for holders of American Express Platinum card. Only in the United States, the magazine was published by Meredith Corporation under an arrangement with American Express until 2021, when American Express ended its publishing deal with Meredith and the U.S. print edition was discontinued.

Departures US

Editor	Skye Parrott
Former editors	Richard David Story (2000–2017) Jeffries Blackerby (2017–2021)
Categories	Advertising mail
Frequency	7 times per year
Circulation	1,157,040[1]
Founded	1984; 41 years ago (1984)[1]
Final issue	Print: May/June 2021 Digital: still being published
Company	American Express
Country	United States
Based in	New York City
Website	www.departures.com

Independently of the U.S. edition, Departures continues to be published both digitally and in print by JI Experience GmbH in international markets, as before. These include countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Latin America. It continues to be offered as a complimentary benefit to American Express Platinum Cardmembers in these regions.^[2]

The longtime editor-in-chief was Richard David Story, who had previously worked at Vogue and Esquire. He spent 17 years at Departures US before leaving in 2017. "Richard had the essential ingredient required of a great editor – massive curiosity", said Graydon Carter, the longtime editor of Vanity Fair. "It carried him through an enviable run at Departures." In May 2017, Jeffries Blackerby was named editor-in-chief. From 2002 to 2006, he had been senior editor at Departures before going on to positions at the New York Times and Vogue.^[3] In March 2021, with the suspension of the print edition, Blackerby exited the company.^[4]

Departures had been purchased from American Express Publishing by Time Inc. on October 1, 2013, along with sister publication Travel + Leisure.^[5] In 2017, Meredith purchased Time Inc.'s magazines, including Departures, in a $2.8 billion deal.^[6]

At its peak, Departures was said to generate an estimated $50 million a year in revenue.^[7] It is known for its colorful layouts and photography, travel essays, and city guides.^[8]

International edition

The logo of the international edition, also used by the U.S. edition until 2021

The international edition of Departures, owned by American Express and produced by JI Experience GmbH, operates independently of the discontinued U.S. version. It is managed by a dedicated editorial team, led by editor-in-chief Christian Schwalbach.^[9]