ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) announced that U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales totaled $95.3 billion in 2023. The 2023 total is the highest since the record $97.4 billion in 2019 and a 16% increase from 2022.*
December closed out the year with $5.7 billion in U.S. travel agency air ticket sales, a 5% increase year over year. December’s ancillary sales increased 32% year over year to $20.6 million, while ancillary transactions increased 36% to 329,475 over the same period.**
Results for December 2023 showed:
| ARC Ticketing Metric | Total | Month-Over-Month Variance | Year-Over-Year Variance |
| Total sales | $5.7 billion | -16% | +5% |
| Total passenger trips | 16.9 million | -18% | +4% |
| U.S. domestic trips | 10.1 million | -22% | +2% |
| International trips | 6.8 million | -11% | +6% |
| Average ticket price | $542 | -1% | +2% |
“2023 was a pivotal year for air travel as U.S. travel agencies and their partners responded to growing traveler demand and significant shifts in airlines’ distribution strategies,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. “It was also a year where travelers continued to combine corporate and leisure trips and spend more on ancillary products and services. The industry focus changed from post-pandemic recovery to meeting the needs of travelers in this new operating environment.”
Total results for 2023 showed:
| ARC Ticketing Metric | Total | Year-Over-Year Variance |
| Total sales | $95.3 billion | +16% |
| Total passenger trips | 247.1 million | +9% |
| U.S. domestic trips | 159.2 million | +5% |
| International trips | 87.9 million | +15% |
| Ancillary Sales | $280 million | +71 |
More detailed information is available on ARC’s sales statistics page.
About ARC:
ARC accelerates the growth of global air travel by delivering forward-looking travel data, flexible distribution services and other innovative industry solutions. We are a leading travel intelligence company that possesses the world’s largest, most comprehensive global airline ticket dataset, including more than 15 billion passenger flights representing 490 airlines and 230 countries and territories. Our solutions and expertise strengthen economies and enrich lives by connecting stakeholders across the travel ecosystem. For more information, visit arccorp.com.
Notes:
*Ticket Sales
- Results are based on monthly sales data ending December 31, 2023, from 10,362 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.
**Ancillary sales
- Includes fees for products and services such as upgraded seats, checked bags, an unaccompanied minor, pet-in-cabin, etc.
© Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC). All rights reserved.
