Taylor Swift fans flock to London Luton Airport for Eras Tour
Large numbers of fans are travelling through London Luton Airport as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour draws crowds from across Europe
London Luton Airport has seen an influx of Taylor Swift fans arriving from across Europe as the pop star’s Eras Tour made its way through major cities. Swift’s eight-night run in London prompted a notable increase in passengers, many of whom used the airport as their gateway to Wembley Stadium.
A 19-year-old fan, Manon, who travelled from the Netherlands, shared her experience: "I flew from Amsterdam on Friday 16th August to London Luton Airport as it's so close to Wembley! I've seen many other people with merch in the airport and a lot of friendship bracelets left on magazines in the stores. I had an amazing time and I will never forget it!"
Fans travelling through the airport reported seeing others exchanging the famous friendship bracelets, a popular tradition among Swift’s followers, with some leaving bracelets in the airport's shops and restaurants for others to find.
London Luton Airport has identified ‘Swiftie Stays’ as a significant trend for 2024 travel, citing that nearly half of those surveyed would consider travelling overseas to attend a concert. Passenger data for flights to European cities hosting Eras Tour concerts indicated an average increase of 5% in passengers on the days surrounding the events. For instance, the number of passengers on flights to Paris rose by over 35% from Sunday 5th May to Sunday 12th May, coinciding with Swift's performances there.
Other popular destinations during the tour included Lisbon, Zurich, and Milan, with Amsterdam, Warsaw, and Dublin also ranking highly on concert days.
Clare Armstrong, Head of Guest Experience at London Luton Airport, commented: “With the trend for more and more music fans to now follow their favourite artists overseas and embrace new cultures, we are delighted that London Luton Airport was the chosen starting point for so many Swifties heading to her European tour destinations during this summer. It's been so exciting to see them both arriving and departing from LLA and, as ever, our aim was to play our part by ensuring a simple, friendly passenger experience to everyone travelling through the airport.”