U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Set Record for Highest Six-Month Total

News provided by

Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)

Jul 18, 2024, 09:30 ET

$53 Billion Six-Month Total Exceeds 2023 and 2019 Levels

ARLINGTON, Va., July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) announced that U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales totaled $53 billion from January to June 2024 — the highest total recorded by ARC for a consecutive six-month period.

Through the first half of the year, total results showed:

ARC Ticketing Metric	Total	Year-Over-Year Variance
Total Sales	$53 billion	+1 %
Total Passenger Trips	149 million	+5 %
U.S. Domestic Trips	86.8 million	+8 %
International Trips	56.2 million	+2 %
Average Ticket Price	$552	-1 %

"Travel demand remains strong for both domestic and international trips, with average ticket prices down year over year for the first six months," said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. "Both corporate and leisure travel spending are experiencing similar growth rates and airlines look to continue this momentum through the end of summer and into the fall."

June 2024 travel agency air ticket sales totaled $7.6 billion — a 6% decrease year over year. June showed healthy increases in both domestic and international trip counts, with a 5% decrease in average ticket price explaining the year-over-year drop in total dollar sales.

Results for June 2024 showed:

ARC Ticketing Metric	Total	Month-Over-Month Variance	Year-Over-Year Variance
Total Sales	$7.6 billion	-16 %	-6 %
Total Passenger Trips	22.7 million	-12 %	+2 %
U.S. Domestic Trips	14.2 million	-12 %	+4 %
International Trips	8.5 million	-11 %	-2 %
Average Ticket Price	$526	-3 %	-5 %

New Distribution Capability (NDC) transactions continue to comprise a growing percentage or ARC's monthly transaction volume. In June 2024, 21.5% of ARC's monthly transaction volume came from NDC — a 14.4% increase year over year. More than 1,000 travel agencies processed NDC transactions in June 2024.

More detailed information is available on ARC's sales statistics page.

About ARC
ARC's data platform is the intelligence behind air travel, connecting the industry ecosystem and powering commercial decisions for airlines and our partners. We manage the world's most comprehensive airline ticketing dataset, comprised of over 12 billion annual passenger flights operated by more than 480 airlines in over 235 countries. ARC's trusted reporting and settlement services process more than $95 billion in U.S.-based agency air sales annually. ARC leads industry collaboration between airlines, agencies, corporate buyers and other partners to enable a thriving air travel retailing ecosystem. For more information, visit arccorp.com.

Contact:
Randy Spoon
[email protected]

Notes:

*Ticket Sales

Results are based on monthly sales data ending June 30, 2024, from 10,353 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations, satellite ticket printing offices and online travel agencies. Results do not include sales of tickets purchased directly from airlines.
The average ticket price (USD) is for a round-trip ticket settled through ARC for an itinerary that included only U.S. domestic travel.
Passenger trips include the total number of passengers taking a trip from one airport to another using direct or connecting flights. Newly issued trips are added, and refunded trips are deducted to provide a net view of traveling passengers.
U.S. domestic passenger trips include the total number settled through ARC where the itinerary is wholly within the U.S. International passenger trips include the total number settled through ARC where some or all the travel occurs to airports outside the U.S. or originates outside the U.S.
Total sales are equal to the total amount paid for a ticket, which includes taxes and fees.

SOURCE Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)