Entertainment Hollywood

Taylor Swift fans are causing a spike in European air travel, United says

Taylor Swift performs in Stockholm, Sweden last weekend as part of her tour.
New YorkCNN — 

Air travelers, are you ready for it? The official kickoff for summer this weekend is going 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,” shot up 25% for this weekend compared to last summer — and the surge is going to continue for the next few months as fans flock to Europe to for concert tickets that are thousands of dollars cheaper compared to the US.

Bookings to other European cities where’s she’s performing in the coming weeks, including Madrid, Edinburgh and Dublin, are also surging, a United representative told CNN.

United’s flights to Milan and Munich for Swift’s shows in July have captured the biggest increase in demand – upwards of 45% more passengers compared to last year.

The airline flies to all of these cities from its East Coast hubs at Newark and Dulles, with some other destinations additionally linked from its other hubs in San Francisco, Denver, Chicago’s O’Hare and Houston.

Delta Air Lines told CNN demand is on the rise for flights to her European tour. The airline said it is prepared as it flies its largest-ever international summer schedule by adding destinations and restoring routes that were cut because of the pandemic.

Both airlines are bracing for record-breaking summer travel overall. Delta and United said it will fly nearly 3 million people during Memorial Day weekend, lasting from Thursday to next Monday, a 5% increase from last year.

Airlines for America, a group representing major US airlines, predicts record numbers of passengers this summer, with carriers expected to fly 270 million passengers — up 6% from last year.

‘Swiftonomics’ meets travel

The increase in bookings is just another example of “Swiftonomics,” the pop icon’s ability to influence the economies of the cities and countries that she visits on her mammoth global tour.

More than 1 million Swifties will attend the superstar’s shows in the United Kingdom later this summer, with the typical fan expected to spend £642 ($810) on travel, accommodation and other expenses, injecting a total of £755 million ($953 million) into the economy, according to a recent Barclays report.

“When it comes to cultural icons like Taylor Swift — like we saw with Elvis and Beatlemania in the 50s and 60s — supporters have such a strong connection to the artist and to the rest of the fandom that the desire to spend becomes even more powerful,” Dr. Peter Brooks, chief behavioral scientist at Barclays, said in the report.

Related Posts

In a resurfaced 2014 clip, Khloé Kardashian discloses that she partied with Sean “Diddy” Combs and a number of “butt nɑƙeɗ people.”

A resurfaced clip from a 2014 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians revealed Khloé Kardashian sharing details about a wild party she attended with Sean “Diddy” Combs. “I got on a plane…

Sensitive photo archive of Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian… lost

A trove of Polaroid photos (instant photos) including unedited photos of famous swimsuit models such as Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian, Irina Shayk, and Emily Ratajkowsk… were lost during…

Kylie Jenner criticized for being “unhygienic” when checking cosmetics line

Kylie Jenner – reality TV star and famous businesswoman in the cosmetics industry – was criticized by the online community for being “unhygienic” because of her shortcomings when…

Priyanka Chopra Shares Cute Candid Moment of her Daughter Malti Marie, Playing with Spiral, See Photo!

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra posted a cute candid picture of her daughter, Malti Marie, playing with a spiral on Instagram. Check out the cute picture below. Priyanka Chopra,…

The psychologists’ observations about what “The Kardashians” gets right about sibling arguments

Not long after their explosive and confrontational phone call, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian made up. Psychologists aren’t surprised — here’s why. Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian Barker say…

Priyanka Chopra Poses in Sports Bra and Shorts for Mirror Selfie: ‘It’s Giving Finally Going Back to Work Energy’

The ‘Love Again’ actress shared a stunning selfie from her bathroom on Wednesday Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Priyanka Chopra/Instagram Priyanka Chopra Jonas Priyanka Chopra Jonas is ready to work! On…