Unfortunately for fans of Taylor Swift, it seems she might be entrenched in her super-polluter era.
TikToker nikalasVR (@nikalas.vr) shared a video claiming that Swift recently set an unflattering world record for the shortest flight in a private jet.
@nikalas.vr Is a 40 second flight too short? #taylorswift #privitejet #planecrash #msfs2020 #nikalasvr #flightsim #fyp #foryou #taylorswiftprivatejet ♬ original sound - nikalasVR
Nikalas speaks to the camera while simulating the flight that was apparently all of 40 seconds and 4 miles after departing from Los Angeles International Airport last year.
Nikalas notes that 4 miles is a walkable distance for some, but to be fair, Swift's level of fame would make that unfeasible. That being said, Nikalas claims that at 5 p.m., the trip would only take 5-10 minutes in a car. Some commenters called that overly optimistic.
Nikalas next asserted that "she's almost losing time by taking this flight; it's almost like they're trying to ruin the environment." Nikalas' "true problem" is that Swift has talked about addressing the changing climate in the past. To that point, Swift's team claims it makes up for her private jet usage with carbon offsets. Of course, eco-conscious observers have the right to be skeptical of those promises, as companies like Shell seem to have duped the system.
The video concludes with Nikalas' simulation actually taking more like 50 seconds, but the general point stands. It is noteworthy that there is some debate over whether Swift is actually on these ultrashort flights, as Business Insider explained.
Nonetheless, Taylor Swift has popped up among the top private jet users multiple times. Simple Flying estimated that Swift's private jet usage during the Eras Tour accounted for 847 tons of carbon pollution and 80,000 gallons of fuel. To be fair, Swift is far from the worst offender overall, but she is part of the problematic trend for the world's ultrarich, who Oxfam says disproportionately pollute through private jets and superyachts.
Private jet usage explains how the top 1% of the world's population accounts for half of passenger aviation's pollution, according to Transport & Environment. As the planet sets world records for temperatures while devastating storms are on the rise, records of any kind for private jet usage are not a desirable direction.
Commenters on TikTok were baffled and frustrated by the flight.
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Definitely 👍 "Oh no, I forgot my phone charger in the living room," one joked of Swift's reason for the flight.
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"That's actually insane…a 15 minute drive," another user wrote.
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