Last March 1, 2024, Philippine Airlines (PAL) made a small (but meaningful) gesture that allowed their passengers to feel bigger than the whole sky.
The proudly-Philippine flight air carrier gave a surprise gift to their passengers bound for Singapore, as they distributed complimentary Eras Tour-inspired friendship bracelets that bore the message “FLYPAL” on their beads. Thousands of passengers from the Philippines are set to be en route to Singapore’s National Stadium for Taylor Swift’s six-show residency as the venue, which she began on March 2, 2024 (Saturday).
Philippine Airlines also shared a photo on their official social media accounts of strings of beads that read out her album titles and more, alongside Instagram stories of Philippine Airlines’ flight attendants distributing the bracelets to passengers from the aisle. Since the beginning of the Eras Tour last March 17, 2023, the friendship bracelets have become embedded as part of the fan culture that surrounds Swift’s impact with her audience.
Originating from the lyric “Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” from the track “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from her 2022 album Midnights, the friendship bracelet trend has become widely common with concertgoers of her shows, including numerous celebrities –– including her now boyfriend Travis Kelce, who first reached out to the pop juggernaut, asking to trade bracelets with her on social media. The said accessory has become a hallmark of Swiftie culture, with many of these adornments being patterned after the singer’s songs, lyrics, and more, then are traded and worn during any of the ongoing shows for the Eras Tour.
Currently, it is estimated that at least 300,000 people are set to visit Singapore for the six-day residency of Swift at their National Stadium. The Eras Tour will run from March 2 to March 9 in Singapore, as it stands as the only Southeast Asian country that the pop star will visit for her tour following an exclusive grant deal with the country’s officials. It also follows after the pop star’s recent visits to Australia and Japan wherein numerous Filipinos also flew to those countries just to witness Swift perform her greatest hits in the live setting.
Just recently, Swift was awarded the Grammy for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 2024 Grammys, beating the likes of SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, and Miley Cyrus among others. It was also during the prestigious ceremony wherein the celebrated hitmaker announced her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is currently slated for release on April 19, 2024. Prior to that, Swift dropped the highly-anticipated re-recording to 1989 last November 2023 as part of her ongoing project to reclaim her previous albums –– a venture that has broken chart and sales history as we know it.
As we anticipate the release of The Tortured Poets Department, feel free to revisit 1989 (Taylor’s Version) below: