Spending on flights hits record high as Six Nations drives pub scene

Muireann Duffy

A record amount was spent on flights in the opening months of 2024, with AIB customers spending over €210 million with airlines in the first two months of the year.

The latest AIB Spend Tracker found spending on flights was up 10 per cent on the same two-month period of 2023, with February's figure up 11 per cent on the same month last year.

The travel bug hit hardest in Kilkenny, which saw the largest increase in spending on flights compared to the same period last year (+18.4 per cent), followed by Mayo (+17.1 per cent) and Longford (+16.5 per cent).

Back at home, many decided to head down to their local to cheer on Ireland as the Six Nations got underway last month, with pub spending up 27 per cent compared to January.

The Spend Tracker found the busiest day for pubs in terms of spending was Saturday, February 24th, when Ireland took a 31-7 home win over Wales in the third round of the tournament.

The wider hospitality industry also fared well, with spending in restaurants up 17 per cent in February, and hotels noted a 7 per cent increase.

While spending in service stations was up 3 per cent in the year, the research saw a 63 per cent increase in the average daily spend on electric vehicle (EV) charging.

Following a steep decline of 24 per cent in January, grocery spending recovered slightly, rising by 10 per cent last month.

Spending was up 4 per cent in the month overall.