Thursday, July 18, 2024
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Today, Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) reported that air ticket sales from U.S.-based travel agencies reached $53 billion between January and June 2024, marking the highest six-month total on record for ARC.
In the initial six months of the year, overall outcomes indicated:
| 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.”
In June 2024, air ticket sales by travel agencies totaled $7.6 billion, marking a 6% decline compared to the previous year. Despite this, there were notable increases in both domestic and international trip numbers for the month. The 5% decrease in average ticket prices contributed to the overall reduction in total sales figures compared to the previous year.
The data from June 2024 indicated:
| 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% |
June 2024 data revealed that New Distribution Capability (NDC) transactions accounted for a growing share of ARC’s monthly transaction volume, with 21.5% originating from NDC—a 14.4% increase from the previous year. Additionally, over 1,000 travel agencies processed NDC transactions during this period.