September US Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Surpass $1 Billion

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) today released data showing net sales from ARC-accredited travel agencies totalling nearly $1.2 billion in September 2020. This is the first time sales have surpassed $1 billion since March 2020. The total represents a 56% increase in month-over-month sales, up from $751 million in August 2020.* The industry continues to recover from the effects of COVID-19, with total dollar volume down 85% from $7.8 billion in September 2019.

Month over month, September 2020 results show:

A 25% increase in the total number of passenger trips;

U.S. domestic trips up 24%; and

International trips up 29%.

 

Additional ARC data shows online travel agency (OTA) bookings leading the recovery when compared to sales for corporate and leisure travel agencies. At the end of September, tickets sold through OTAs were down 51% YOY, outpacing corporate and leisure agency bookings, which were down 86% and 71% YOY, respectively. All three segments have shown increases since dipping slightly at the beginning of August.

The total number of passenger trips settled by ARC was down 69% year over year for September, from 24,465,077 to 7,610,632. U.S. domestic trips decreased 65% YOY to 5.6 million, while international trips totalled 2 million, a 78% decrease YOY. The average U.S. round-trip ticket price decreased from $496 in September 2019 to $343 in September 2020.

Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD)** sales decreased YOY by 66% to $2,303,760, while EMD transactions decreased by 50% YOY in September, totalling 55,036. Both totals mark month-over-month increases from August 2020, up 26% and 55%, respectively.

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