Air Ticket Sales by U.S. Travel Agents in 2012 Continue to Run 6 Percent Ahead of Last Year

Ticket Transactions Virtually Flat Compared to Same Period 2011

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May 10, 2012, 01:29 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., May 10, 2012 /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 6.37 percent* year-over-year in the first four months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, and 15 percent over the same period in 2010. January through April 2012 ticket sales totalled $31 billion, compared to $29.2 billion in 2011, and $26.9 billion in 2010.

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Year-to-date passenger segments for the first four months of 2012 increased slightly by 0.90 percent – at 117.5 million segments, compared to 116.4 million in 2011 – while reflecting a -1.78 percent decrease over the same period in 2010. Ticket transactions for January through April 2012 were flat, at .66 percent compared to the same period in 2011, while down by 1 percent over the same period in 2010.

More detailed information is available at https://www.arccorp.com/news/stat/2012-04.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. About 16,000 travel agencies and 190 airlines make up the ARC network. In 2011, ARC settled more than $82 billion worth of transactions between travel sellers and airlines. 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 April 30, 2012 from 14,465 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