With the Taylor Swift juggernaut (even that word seems inadequate) arriving Down Under, many travellers have been forced to get creative to shake off Eras Tour airfares.
One way in which travellers have saved money is by looking beyond the major airports of Sydney and Melbourne, where TayTay’s concerts are taking place – and then driving to where they need to go.
According to data released by Flight Centre Travel Group’s Corporate Traveller, flights into regional hubs Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour have risen “astronomically” over the five days around Taylor Swift’s Sydney concerts compared to the previous year.
Between 22-27 February 2024, Port Macquarie has seen 250 per cent more bookings y-o-y, Newcastle 33 per cent more and Coffs Harbour 29 per cent more.
In Victoria, data shows flights into Geelong (Avalon Airport) have risen 140 per cent year-over-year in the five days (15-19 February 2024) of the Melbourne concerts.
According to Corporate Traveller, Sydneysiders are also expected to inundate Avalon along with other regional Victorian airports, despite Swift’s four stadium shows in Sydney.
On social media today, Melbourne Airport said, “we will set a new record with more than 117,000 passengers using our terminals, as we welcome people to Melbourne for Taylor Swift’s first 2024 Australian Eras Tour concert tonight.”
In NSW and Victoria, passengers are mostly arriving from Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide as well as Canberra, Cairns, Townsville and Mackay.
“We know all too well that major events to drive up demand and travel prices, but the reports we’re getting from our airline and hotel partners have indicated that these are among the busiest weeks of the year,” Corporate Traveller’s Australian-based Global Managing Director Tom Walley said.
“We’ve seen flight bookings into Sydney and Melbourne among our corporate travellers trending slightly down in those days surrounding the Eras Tour.
“It’s not surprising to see our customers looking to shake it off, and where they can, book travel into alternative airports or on alternative dates.
“It’s certainly a recommendation our team have been making to our customers; if you can afford adding at least a few hours to either side of your trip, and you don’t mind a drive, it’s definitely a more affordable way to travel when demand is abnormally high.
“There’s no bad blood between corporate travellers and Miss Swift, but we’ll be glad to be out of the woods by the end of February.”
The so-called ‘Swift Lift’ in demand has seen major airlines schedule 64 extra passenger flights while some committed concert-goers have even chartered corporate jets to the sold-out Taylor Swift shows in Melbourne and Sydney.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Aussie interstate concertgoers have been advised to protect their once-in-a-lifetime experience with domestic travel insurance.
