Team USA’s women gymnasts are ready to fly high at the Paris Olympics! With just a 7-day countdown to the mightiest meet of the year, Simone Biles and Co. are now officially en route to the French City of Love! But, it appears that the Olympic third-timer Biles has opted for a different wagon than her team.As per the latest update, Biles is flying business class with United Airlines, while Jordan Chiles and the rest of the crew are aboard a Delta One aircraft. But why is that? Well, United Airlines is one of Biles’ sponsors. Back in 2021, they onboarded her as the elite ambassador for their, “Time to let yourself fly!” campaign, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.Jordyn’s flying delta one, Simone’s in business on United which is surprising I assumed they’d all fly together on the same flight.The background being that the Tokyo Games marked 40 years of United supporting Team USA as their official airline sponsor. On attaining this lofty milestone, the company’s senior vice president of market and community innovation, Janet Lamkin expressed great pride. As United had been a part of the athletes’ journeys ‘from practice to the podium.’ She also hailed that United is committed to doing hard work to be the best and engaging deeply with the communities they serve.These aspects came alive as the airline made a video commercial featuring 5 select Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Interestingly, one of them was Simone Biles. Evincing a strong sense of trust, Biles commended them, “I feel like they [United] believe in my dreams on and off the mat and they’ve always gotten me to all my destinations safely.” Evidently so, as United has flown coaches, athletes, and staff members, including their equipment to and from destinations for decades.But, for Biles, 2021 was not only about this United feature. Overall, it was a breakthrough year for her sponsorship decisions. Just 3 months before the Tokyo Olympics, she called off her partnership with Nike. As she did that, Biles joined hands with Athleta, a womenswear brand. The company’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity had apparently inspired her to take this step. Moreover, Athleta welcomed her with open arms. They made her the brand face and allowed her to design customized outfits for herself.But, Athleta isn’t the only brand that seems to be going all out for their sports stars. Apparently, United has done it too. This year, ahead of an all-important football clash, the airline had surprised the fans with an unanticipated announcement.After the Simone Biles fans, United Airlines hype the Swifties and football buffsIn January 2024, United announced a special something for all the Taylor Swift loyalists, aka the Swifties, and the Kansas City Chief supporters. Ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl, they announced extra flights to Las Vegas, from Kansas City and San Fransico Bay. How many? Well, nearly 15 direct flights! Now whether the passengers were all excited for a thrilling football game, or just to sight the singing sensation Swift, United was more than happy to facilitate their dreams.Besides, they had a few other aww-worthy tricks up their sleeves. One of the flight was names UA 1989, after Swift’s popular album. Similarly, given Kelce and Taylor’s brewing romance, they added another flight named, ‘UA 2287.’ Can you decode the reference? Well, the power couple’s fans certainly can. 22 is one of Swift’s songs and 87 is printed on the back of Kelce’s jersey. Another one of their flights, ‘UA 1587′ combined Patrick Mahomes and Kelce’s numbers.
