Australia’s
flag carrier, Qantas,
was forced to replace three separate flights from Melbourne to Sydney with an Airbus
A380 superjumbo jet on Friday—a plane which is typically reserved for long-haul
international flights.
But, because of
the phenomenal consumer demand to see Taylor
Swift’s Eras Tour, combined with bad weather warnings, the airline had to reshuffle
its equipment to put three planes’ worth of passengers onto one aircraft.
The 485 passengers
were originally booked on flights operated using the narrow-body Boeing 737
model, since the Melbourne-to-Sydney route is a domestic one spanning only
about 540 miles (similar to the distance between Boston and Pittsburgh).
When a severe-storm
forecast was issued, meaning the number of flights able to land at Sydney’s airport
would be restricted, Qantas had to come up with a solution to get those
passengers to their destination (relatively) on time.
The weather
situation, coupled with "incredibly high demand" for airlift into the
major Australian metropolis, convinced Qantas to operate a special flight
onboard the massive double-decker jet to get those passengers where they were
going.
Taylor Swift performing a show as part of her Eras Tour. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Paolo Villanueva)
While the timing
of their original flights did not suggest they were traveling to see Swift’s
concert, other flights were so full of Swifties that it would have been
impossible to find seats for the displaced passengers.
Qantas usually
uses the enormous A380 only to fly to such overseas destinations as Los Angeles,
London and Singapore, according to Business
Insider, but it also keeps one available on standby.
After a late
departure, Friday’s Flight 7168 was only in the air for about an hour on its
domestic route, but made a 13-hour trip to Los Angeles the next day.
Swift’s highly
sought-after Eras Tour has been selling out, driving
travel demand and bolstering local economies wherever it goes. For instance,
in Cardiff, Wales—where she won’t be performing until June—hotel rooms are
already going for $230 over the usual rate.
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