The launch week
Own the airport that matters
The home airport, the launch city, or the show the launch is timed to, taken over for the week.
Airport advertising for product launches Launch airport
advertising. Make itlook like an event.
A launch has one week to feel like news, and the terminal is where it can look like it: a takeover of the home airport, spectaculars at the hubs where buyers and press arrive, the same creative on every screen the market walks past. Airport advertising gives a launch physical scale that digital can't fake. This page covers how to plan a launch in airports, which airports and weeks, how far ahead to book, which formats, what it costs, and the launches EAM Advertising has run, from EAM Advertising, an airport advertising media agency that plans and buys across 125+ airports and 40+ media vendors.
- 125+Airports worldwide
- 40+Media vendors
- 5Continents served
You’re in good company
The short answer
How do you use airport advertising
for a product launch?
Own the week and the airports that matter, then keep a lighter presence for the quarter. A launch plan typically takes over the home airport or the launch city for the launch week, puts spectaculars and networks at the three to five hubs the buyers and press fly through, matches the creative across every unit so the terminal reads as one campaign, and follows with networks at the hubs for four to eight weeks. Fabric's launch took every digital face and all 760 security trays at San Jose; Rauw Alejandro's album launch ran five airports in two countries in the same week.
The hubs
Where buyers and press land
Spectaculars and networks at the three to five airports the market flies through.
The follow-through
Four to eight weeks at the hubs
Networks after launch week, so the launch reads as a campaign rather than a stunt.
The one thing to get right
Work backward from the launch date. A takeover commits four to six months out, spectaculars twelve to sixteen weeks, networks eight to twelve, and creative is due 14 to 18 business days before start. The launch date is fixed; the booking windows are not negotiable with it.
Start your plan
Launching something? Put it where the market lands.
Pick the path that matches where you are. Every path ends with current availability and a recommended mix.
Still sizing itGet our media kitFormats, planning ranges, and booking windows across 125+ airports. We follow up to learn who you need to reach and when.Get the kit Have airports and datesSend a briefTell us the audience, the airports or the event, the dates, and the range. We come back with availability and a recommended mix.Send it Want to talk it throughBook a 15-minute callA short call on which airports and weeks fit your buyers.Book it
Why it works
Why do airports
work for a launch?
Because a launch needs to look bigger than it is, in front of the people who decide whether it is. A takeover or a wall of spectaculars gives a product the scale of a category leader on the day it ships; the hubs put it in front of buyers, partners, press, and the company's own people; and a terminal full of one message is the kind of thing people photograph and send to each other.
Scale on day one
The terminal makes it look big
A takeover reads as a company that has arrived.
The right people, that week
Buyers, press, partners
The hubs they fly through in launch week.
Shareable
People photograph it
A spectacular or a jet bridge in the feed is earned reach.
Airports and timing
Which airports and when
for a launch?
The home airport or launch city for the week, the hubs the market flies through for the launch flight, and the host airport if the launch is timed to a show. Timing runs backward from the date: the biggest units book earliest.
| Airport or week | Why | Book by |
|---|---|---|
| Home or launch-city airport, launch week | The company, its people, its city, and visiting press | 4–6 months out for a takeover; 12–16 weeks for spectaculars |
| 3–5 hubs the market flies through | Buyers and partners in the launch flight | 12–16 weeks out |
| The show's host airport, if timed to a conference | The category arriving in one week | 4–6 months out for the arrival path |
| International hubs for a global launch | The same week in each market | 16–20 weeks out; add 2–6 weeks by country |
Digital creative is due 14–18 business days before start, static 21–28 days, trays 6–8 weeks. See the lead-times page.
Formats
Which airport formats
work for a launch?
Takeovers and spectaculars for the launch week, digital networks for the follow-through at the hubs, baggage claim and jet bridges where the launch city's visitors arrive, and Wi-Fi sponsorship when there is a sign-up or an app-install page.
Dominations
Own a stretch of a hub
Every screen along a walkway or every unit in a terminal, one destination.
Spectaculars
For the week that matters
The arrival-path unit the whole show walks past; the first to sell out in a conference week.
Digital networks
Reach at the hubs
A spot in the loop across the concourses your audience connects through.
Baggage claim
Arrivals, waiting
Every arriving passenger with a bag, facing the screens.
Wi-Fi sponsorship
A way to act
A trial, a sign-up, or a meeting request on the phone in their hand.
Security trays
Always-on frequency
Every departing passenger handles the brand, trip after trip.
Budget
What does a launch
cost in airports?
A launch-week takeover of a medium-size airport runs $150,000 to $300,000; a launch flight across five major hubs built for impact starts around $250,000 for four weeks; a global launch across eight to ten airports starts around $500,000. Media only, for medium to large airports.
| Plan | Airports | Formats | Planning range, media only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch-city takeover | 1 medium-size airport, or 1 terminal at a large one | Every network and large unit | $150,000–$300,000 for the flight |
| Launch flight | 5 major hubs built for impact | Spectaculars and networks | From about $250,000 for four weeks |
| Global launch | 8–10 airports, U.S. plus international | Spectaculars and networks by airport | From about $500,000 |
| Follow-through | 3–5 hubs | Networks only | From about $100,000 for four weeks |
Planning figures for medium to large airports, from Phoenix (PHX) up to JFK, Las Vegas (LAS), and San Francisco (SFO); smaller airports such as San Antonio (SAT) run 25 to 40% less. Ranges from the cost and budget pages.
A sample plan
What does a launch plan
actually look like?
A software launch: the home airport taken over for the launch week, spectaculars at three hubs for four weeks, and networks continuing at the hubs for a second flight. Media only.
| Airport | Units | Weeks | Planning range, media only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home airport (medium-size) | Full takeover: every network and large unit | Launch week, then the flight | $150,000–$300,000 |
| SFO | Arrivals-path digital spectacular plus the terminal network | 4 weeks | $40,000–$200,000 |
| JFK | Arrivals-path digital spectacular plus the terminal network | 4 weeks | $40,000–$200,000 |
| ORD | Terminal network | 4 weeks, then a second flight | $25,000–$100,000 per flight |
A worked example, not a quote. Ranges from the format and cost pages for medium to large airports, from Phoenix (PHX) up to JFK, Las Vegas (LAS), and San Francisco (SFO); production and installation are on top.
What goes wrong
What goes wrong on
launch airport campaigns?
Launches fail in airports for calendar reasons more than creative ones.
The date moves, the hold doesn't
Holds expire in about five business days
A launch date that slips past the hold loses the unit; secure the week with a decision date that holds.
Creative not final
Deadlines are fixed
Digital is due 14–18 business days before start; a launch whose creative is still changing misses the terminal.
The week, then silence
A takeover with nothing after
Keep networks at the hubs for a second flight so the launch reads as sustained.
Creative
What works creatively
for a launch in an airport?
One line and the product, everywhere at once. A launch's creative should be identical across every unit, so the terminal reads as one message; the product or the name should be the largest element; and the line should say what shipped, not describe it. Save the explanation for the landing page the Wi-Fi sponsorship points to.
One message, every surface
Consistency makes it big
The same line on the spectacular, the networks, the trays.
Say what shipped
Not what it does
The announcement, at scale.
A place to land
Wi-Fi or a vanity URL
Where the curious go after the terminal.
Measurement
How do you measure
a launch in airports?
Proof of posting before the first arrival wave and photos of the takeover, passenger figures for launch week, the branded-search and direct-traffic spike across the launch window, press and social mentions of the terminal, and sign-ups or app installs from the Wi-Fi sponsorship or vanity URL.
Why EAM
What launches has
EAM Advertising run?
Fabric's full takeover of San Jose, 82 digital faces and all 760 security trays for one flight; Rauw Alejandro's album and tour launch across Miami, New York, Chicago, Madrid, and Barcelona in the same week; and Dynatrace's five-continent campaign under one contract. We work backward from your date, secure the launch week first, run every airport under one contract, and confirm posting before the first arrival wave.
- One airport, dominatedFabricSan Jose (SJC). A full airport takeover for one flight: 82 digital faces covering 5,252 square feet, plus all 760 security trays.Every network and checkpoint at one airportSee the campaign
- Launch, two countriesRauw AlejandroMiami, New York, Chicago, Madrid, Barcelona. Airport advertising for the Saturno album and tour launch in the U.S. and Spain at the same time.15 million people reachedSee the campaign
Global, five continentsDynatraceParis, London, São Paulo, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, and more. Digital large format and screen networks across five continents, under one contract.60 million people reachedSee the campaign
See every campaign on the case studies page.
Send the launch date, the airports, and the range. We come back with what's open for the week and a recommended mix.
Ready to plan?
Launching something?
Send a brief.
Tell us the audience, the airports or the event, the dates, and the budget range. We come back with current availability at every airport in the plan and a recommended mix.
125+ airports · 40+ media vendors · Since 2015
“EAM made a nationwide airport campaign feel much easier to manage. The team was responsive, organized, and always on top of the details. They helped us make smart decisions with the budget, kept everything moving, and ultimately delivered exactly what we were looking for.”
Chief Marketing OfficerFortinet · nationwide airport campaignFor agencies and consultants
Your client. Your plan.
We handle the airports.
Agencies and consultants bring EAM Advertising in as the airport specialist behind a client’s plan. The client relationship stays with you. We plan, buy, and report under NDA, and can work white-label.
Get our media kit- Your client stays yours.We work behind your team, not around it.
- White-label and NDA.Plans and reporting can go out under your name.
- One contract, one invoice.Every airport and media owner in the plan, under one set of terms.
- Numbers before the client commits.Current availability and planning ranges at the proposal stage.
Airports
Thinking of a specific airport?
Start with its page.
EAM Advertising plans and buys at 125+ airports across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, India, and Africa, and any combination runs under one contract. The most-requested airports are below; every airport, with search by city or code, is on the airport advertising hub.
Questions
Questions buyers ask
about launch airport advertising
Is airport advertising good for a product launch?
Yes; a takeover or spectaculars give a launch physical scale on the day it ships, in front of the buyers, partners, and press at the hubs. Fabric's launch took every digital face and all 760 trays at San Jose.
How far ahead should you book airport advertising for a launch?
Four to six months for a takeover or a show-week arrival path, twelve to sixteen weeks for spectaculars, eight to twelve for networks, with digital creative due 14 to 18 business days before start.
Which airports should a launch use?
The home or launch-city airport for the week, the three to five hubs the market flies through, and the host airport if the launch is timed to a conference.
How much does a launch airport campaign cost?
A launch-week takeover of a medium-size airport runs $150,000 to $300,000; a five-hub launch flight starts around $250,000; a global launch across eight to ten airports starts around $500,000. Media only.
Can you take over an airport for a launch week?
At most medium and large airports outside the weeks already sold, yes: every network and large unit for one flight, committed four to six months ahead.
What if the launch date moves?
Holds expire in about five business days and contracts are non-cancellable once signed, so secure the week with a decision date that holds, and keep digital creative swappable for the message.
Should a launch include international airports?
For a global launch, yes, in the same week in each market; add two to six weeks of lead time by country and plan sixteen to twenty weeks out.
What should launch airport creative say?
What shipped, in one line, with the product or the name as the largest element, identical across every unit.
How do you measure a launch in airports?
Proof of posting and photos, launch-week passenger figures, the branded-search spike across the window, press and social mentions of the terminal, and sign-ups from Wi-Fi or a vanity URL.
What does EAM Advertising handle on an airport campaign?
Everything after the objective. We check what's open for the week, which loops are crowded and which units will sell out, and where on the arrival path your audience actually walks. We recommend the mix, secure the units, traffic the creative through airport approval, confirm posting on day one, and deliver proof of posting and play logs after. If the airport is one market in a larger plan, the same relationship covers the others.
Airport advertising media agency. 125+ airports. Est. 2015.
Planning a launch?
Start with the media kit.
Send your work email for the media kit: formats, planning ranges, and booking windows across 125+ airports. We’ll follow up to learn who you need to reach and when, then come back with current availability and a recommended mix.
125+ airports · 40+ media vendors · Since 2015
Sources
Sources
and methodology
- Airports, weeks, and formats: EAM Advertising planning and buying records across 125+ airports, 2015–2026. Event dates change year to year; check the current calendar.
- Planning ranges: the airport advertising cost and budget pages.
- Campaigns named: past work described on the case studies page, without spend.
Updated October 5, 2026 · By EAM Advertising
EAM Advertising plans, secures, and buys airport and in-flight media across 125+ airports and 45+ airlines worldwide. Founded in 2015; collective operator experience in airport media buying spans two decades. Recommendations are based on what performs for the advertiser, not on inventory we have to sell. Clients include Dynatrace, Fortinet, Rubrik, McGraw-Hill, and Wharton.