Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has had an unprecedented impact on the economy of the cities where she performs, driving a flurry of spending on accommodation, retail, food and beverage. One of the biggest winners of the so-called “Taylor Swift effect,” however, are the airlines shuttling Swift fans, or “Swifties,” to and from the pop star’s concerts around the globe. Take the case of United Airlines, which has tracked a 25 percent increase in demand for its flights over weekends when Swift is performing. “Quite frankly, we watch where Taylor goes because our demand booms,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, while speaking at the Skift Global Forum 2024 yesterday (Sept. 18).
Due to the high demand for Swift’s tour, the Chicago-based airline tracks the singer’s tour dates and locations to ensure it has the correct number of seats available for fans to travel to her performances, Nocella said, adding that this phenomenon is just as pronounced for domestic concerts as it is for international dates. “It is material to the destinations when she shows up,” he said. “It is real, and it happens time after time again. It’s amazing.”
United has previously taken advantage of the interest in Swift by offering discounts for domestic flights coinciding with the singer’s concerts across the U.S. The impact of the Eras Tour, which is expected to generate $4.6 billion in sales in North America via tickets alongside merchandise and travel and bring £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to the U.K. economy alone, isn’t limited to United. Other airlines have also taken notice, with Southwest earlier this year announcing plans to add ten additional domestic flights this fall coinciding with locations on Swift’s domestic leg of the tour.
While the Eras Tour will come to an end in 2024, fans looking to attend Swift’s concerts in the future will soon be able to access free Wi-Fi on United flights. Earlier this month, the airline unveiled a new partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink internet access to its aircraft. The deal will see United offering free Wi-Fi for the first time, making it the second major airline to do so after Delta Airlines (DAL).
United’s first Starlink passenger flight is expected to take off in late 2025. Over the next few years, the airline’s entire aircraft will have Starlink equipped. “Starlink just enables a living room life experience onboard,” Nocella said. “It’s going to take a little while to get it out there, but this is a revolution in the air.”