Yesterday Fairfax Media announced the death of Travel and Leisure magazine. The last issue will be published in December 2009. Now this publication has been on death row for a while, but there is a complicated little story behind why it exists, and why it has died.

The magazine brand was actually owned by American Express. Fairfax published the magazine under licence, and it was then distributed to the charge card’s “platinum” clients. Therefore Fairfax never put any effort into developing the magazine as a news-stand presence, which meant it had no chance of surviving once Amex, intent on cost cutting, withdrew its support.

Compare the approach of the rival Australian Traveller magazine, which offered bonus commissions to newsagents.

Nevertheless the magazine served as the venue for some fine travel writing by freelancers who will now be looking for a new home.