Spring 2018 Travel

2018 News Releases

ARC Finds Air Ticket Sales for Spring Travel Grew 18 Percent Since 2014

Puerto Rico Air Travel Decreased 27 Percent in 2018 vs. 2017

ARLINGTON, Va. – May 7, 2018 – Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) today released new analysis that shows air ticket sales for spring travel* over the last four years is growing steadily, up 18 percent since 2014, to the top destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico as well as top spring destinations in the U.S. This trend is consistent with the steady overall international travel increase reported by ARC—a seven percent increase year-over-year (YOY) in March of 2018 as compared to 2017.

Despite devastating hurricanes in late 2017, air ticket purchases to areas less impacted remain very strong in 2018. Spring travel to the Bahamas increased 24 percent while the Dominican Republic and Mexico increased 12 percent and 11 percent respectively. And while air ticket sales to Jamaica increased 4 percent, the impact of the storms are still having an impact on Puerto Rico, which saw with a 27 percent decrease in sales in 2018 compared to 2017.

“Travel to the Caribbean was soft the last couple of years and a major factor was the media coverage of the Zika virus, which peaked about the time spring break was happening,” said Chuck Thackston, ARC’s managing director of data science and research. “Some of those travelers probably went to U.S. and Mexico destinations in prior years, and after the hurricanes last year that travel trend is continuing.”

Overall, average ticket prices decreased for spring travel by 4 percent, while the ticket prices for travel to the Caribbean were up around 5 percent. Travelers flying to Mexico this spring paid an average of $529 while those flying to the Caribbean paid an average of $641.

Contact:
Hillary Smith
703.341.1207
hsmith@arccorp.com

Notes for Editors:

*Spring travel

  • Results are based on round-trip and one-way ticket data for travel during the peak spring break travel periods of March and April from 12,024 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.

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.

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Contact

Ryan Lynch
703-341-1064
Media@arccorp.com