United says Taylor Swift concerts drove 25% uptick in demand
United Airlines doesn’t have any bad blood with Taylor Swift, quite the contrary, as the pop star is driving up demand for its flights.
At a travel industry conference Wednesday, United said it has seen a 25% uptick in demand for flights on weekends during which Swift has held concerts abroad. Swift is having a similar effect on domestic travel too, Andrew Nocella, the airline’s EVP and chief commercial officer, added.
Swift is an economic force of her own, driving up spending and boosting the local economies wherever she performs. Market research firm QuestionPro estimated that all told, her Eras Tour could help add $5 billion to the global economy.
While United hasn’t added flights expressly for Swift’s concerts, at least one other airline has.
Budget carrier Southwest this summer said it was adding flights to accommodate strong demand for travel to Swift’s performances in Miami and New Orleans in October.
“Following strong demand from last year’s U.S. tour, the airline is adding more than 10 flights to its schedule to help Swifties get to and from her concerts,” the airline said in a statement to CBS News.
— CBS News’ Kathryn Krupnik contributed to this report
