Irish fans spent €250,000 on flights between 1pm and 2pm after the World Cup playoff draw secured a match in Prague against Czech Republic.
AIB recorded a 69pc spike in travel-related expenditure compared to the previous week. Customers spent a further €1,000,000 on Irish soccer jerseys the day after the Hungary victory. Spending in sports shops reached €802,000 on 15 November before the Hungary game.
Pub drinks purchases rose 10pc on the Hungary match day with highest sales in the hour after full-time.
Michael O’Leary shared “While the prices are more expensive than we would normally charge, if we really wanted to price gouge people, we would have added one or two extra flights.”
Adrian Moynihan shared “Our analysis shows that spending patterns are closely mirroring this national optimism, especially on match days.”
