Air travelers, are you ready? This weekend’s official opening of summer is set to get even busier, thanks in part to Taylor Swift.
United Airlines revealed that demand for flights to Lisbon, Portugal, where Swift is performing for her “Eras Tour,” was up 25% this weekend compared to last summer — and the increase This trend will continue over the next few months as fans flock to Europe to buy concert tickets thousands of dollars cheaper than in the US.
A United representative told CNN that bookings to other European cities where she performs in the coming weeks, including Madrid, Edinburgh and Dublin, are also strong.
United’s flights to Milan and Munich for Swift’s concert in July accounted for the biggest increase in demand – 45% more passengers than last year.
The airline flies to all of these cities from East Coast hubs at Newark and Dulles, with several additional destinations linked from other hubs in San Francisco, Denver, O’Hare and Houston of Chicago.
Delta Air Lines told CNN that demand for flights to her European tour is increasing. The airline said it is preparing for its biggest international summer schedule ever by adding destinations and restoring routes that were cut because of the pandemic.
Both airlines are gearing up for record-breaking summer travel overall. Delta and United said they will fly nearly 3 million people over Memorial Day weekend, which runs from Thursday through next Monday, up 5% from last year.
Airlines for America, a group representing major US airlines, predicts record passenger numbers this summer, with carriers expected to carry 270 million passengers – a 6% increase from last year .
‘Swiftonomics’ meets the needs of tourism
The surge in bookings is just another example of “Swiftonomics,” the pop icon’s ability to impact the economies of the cities and countries she visits during her massive global tour. his giant.
More than 1 million Swifties will attend the superstar’s UK shows later this summer, with a typical fan expected to spend £642 ($810) on travel, accommodation and other costs, injecting a total of 755 million pounds ($953 million) into the economy, according to a recent report by Barclays.
“When it comes to cultural icons like Taylor Swift – as we saw with Elvis and Beatlemania in the 50s and 60s – supporters have strong connections to the artist and the rest of the community. fans so the desire to spend becomes even stronger, Dr. Peter Brooks, chief behavioral scientist at Barclays, said in the report.
