Taylor Swift Super Bowl trip: Pop star reaches Las Vegas in 5,700-mile journey from Tokyo to watch Chiefs
Taylor Swift will turn around and head to Australia after the Super Bowl to continue the international leg of her tour
One of Super Bowl LVIII's many storylines is nearing its peak.
Taylor Swift officially made it to Las Vegas ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed on Sunday afternoon, which concluded her 5,700-mile journey from Tokyo to Las Vegas. Fans tracked the global pop star's jet when it reached Los Angeles' LAX airport on Saturday for the first leg of her journey.
The trip from Japan to California took 12 hours as she crossed the international date line and nine different time zones to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and her boyfriend, All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Luckily, Las Vegas is 17 hours behind Japan.
Swift's tight travel window was presented by her ongoing Eras Tour and its international touring schedule. As soon as she completed her fourth consecutive show in Japan's Tokyo Dome on Saturday night, she rushed to a private jet at Haneda airport, according to the Associated Press.
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Her concert reportedly ended at around 9:12 p.m. Saturday in Tokyo, which converts to 4:12 a.m. PT Saturday in Las Vegas. The Super Bowl is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
A group of journalists staked out near Haneda airport's private jet area, where they saw "four to five people" come out of minivans and use umbrellas to obstruct the view of a person as they boarded the plane, the AP added.
Later in the afternoon, Swifties and aviation journalists found a private jet labeled "The Football Era," and shared the tracking of its location on social media. The plane, which they believe Swift is on, arrived to LAX near 3:30 p.m. local time.
Its arrival was met with cheers:
TAYLOR SWIFT IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!! #TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/2dvT5klXAn
— Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) February 10, 2024
While the Japanese Embassy was quick to post on social media that Swift should arrive at the Super Bowl in time, other establishments noted that she might have an issue landing.
On Feb. 2, a spokesperson for the Clark County Department of Aviation told the AP that there are about 475 private jet parking spaces across the four airports in the Las Vegas area. All those spots are full, according to the FAA.
Swift opted to land around 270 miles away in Los Angeles. It takes a little over four hours to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, which would still have her in town for the game with time to spare. It's unclear if she flew the final stretch to the Las Vegas area or if she drove. But regardless, Swift made it to the city with plenty of time to spare.
Swift owns more than one private jet, which has drawn scrutiny for issues surrounding climate change from carbon emissions. Her representation recently threatened legal action against a student who was tracking her flights.
Many of the tracked journeys brought her to Chiefs games. She was present when Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce went shirtless as he watched his brother and Kansas City win a 27-24 thriller to advance to the AFC championship game in January. A Buffalo Bills stadium worker later told of a kind interaction with Swift, who sweetened the meeting with a $100 tip.
Thanks to a holiday break from her tour, Swift has rarely missed a game since her first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium in October. She even made it to the Raiders' win over the Chiefs on Christmas Day. The Super Bowl would be her 13th game this season, which she has touted for years as her lucky number. She most recently reminded fans of the superstition when she won her 13th Grammy Award on Feb. 4.
Once the Super Bowl is over, Swift is expected to fly to Australia later in the week to continue the tour.