Travellers look to regional airports as Swift’s tour jacks up airfares

Savvy corporate travellers are looking outside the traditional business hubs of Sydney and Melbourne to continue their essential travel, swiftly save money, and avoid a cruel summer at busy airports, as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour lands in Australia.

Data from Flight Centre Travel Group’s flagship SME division, Corporate Traveller, can reveal flights into Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour are up astronomically over the five days (22-27 February 2024) surrounding Taylor Swift’s Sydney concerts, compared to the same dates in the year previous.

Further, Corporate Traveller data shows flights into Geelong (Avalon Airport) are up 140 per cent over the five days (15-19 February 2024) of the Melbourne concerts:

• Port Macquarie has 250 per cent more bookings in 22-27 February 2024, compared to the previous year.
• Geelong (Avalon Airport) has 140 per cent more bookings in 15-19 February 2024, compared to the previous year.
• Newcastle has 33 per cent more bookings in 22-27 February 2024, compared to the previous year.
• Coffs Harbour has 29 per cent more bookings in 22-27 February 2024, compared to the previous year.

Travellers into the regional hubs were primarily flying in from Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, along with Canberra, Cairns, Townsville and Mackay. Geelong is set to see a lot of travellers from Sydney, whilst the Victorian regions will see Sydney-siders flock to its airports.

Corporate Traveller’s Australian-based global managing director Tom Walley said the swift lift in bookings saw a redistribution of passengers across travel routes as Taylor Swift takes to stage in Melbourne and Sydney in late February.

“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,” 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.”