Air Ticket Sales by U.S. Travel Agents in 2011 Continue Tracking 6 Percent Ahead of Last Year

Ticket Transactions Down 2.04 Percent Compared to Same Period 2010

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Sep 08, 2011, 02:50 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ARC, the financial settlement link between airlines and travel sellers, reported today that the consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies increased 6.45 percent* year-over-year in the first eight months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, and 29 percent over the same period in 2009. January through August 2011 ticket sales totalled $57.2 billion, compared to $53.8 billion in 2010, and $44.5 billion in 2009.

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Year-to-date passenger segments for the first eight months of 2011 fell 2.5 percent – at 253.1 million segments, compared to 259.5 million in 2010 – while reflecting a 4 percent increase over the same period in 2009. Ticket transactions for January through August 2011 were down slightly, at -2.04 percent compared to the same period in 2010, while up 6 percent over the same period in 2009.

More detailed information is available at https://www.arccorp.com/news/stat/2011-08.jsp

About ARC:
As the financial backbone of the U.S. travel industry, ARC enables commerce among travel agencies, airlines, and travel suppliers, and offers them secure and accurate financial settlement services. More than 15,000 travel agencies and 190 airlines use the company's transaction settlement services that, in 2010, totaled more than $77 billion in value. ARC also supplies transactional data to organizations, facilitating better business decisions through fact-based market analyses. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www.arccorp.com.

Notes for Editors:

*Ticket Sales

Results based on sales data ending August 31, 2011 from 14,981 U.S. retail and corporate travel agencies, satellite ticket printing offices, and online travel agencies.
Does not include sales of tickets purchased directly from airlines.
Total sales are equal to the total amount paid for a ticket, which includes taxes and fees.

SOURCE ARC