Monthly Sales Declined 11% While Passenger Trips Showed Smaller Decrease Compared to 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. – January 14, 2021 – Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) today released data showing net sales from ARC-accredited travel agencies totaling $1 billion in December 2020, reflecting a typical seasonal decline in bookings at the end of the calendar year.* Year over year, December sales were down 83% compared to December 2019, when sales totaled $6.1 billion.
Month over month, December 2020 results showed:
“While overall trips remain down as air travel continues its recovery, this past December performed better than December 2019 from a month-over-month standpoint,” said Chuck Thackston, ARC’s managing director of data science and research. “In 2019, total passenger trips from November to December were down 10%, but in 2020 that decline was only 6%. That’s an encouraging sign as we look to recovery progressing in 2021.”
Total passenger trips settled by ARC in December were down 66% year over year, from 19,344,759 to 6,512,647. U.S. domestic trips were down 64% to 4.2 million, while international trips totaled 2.3 million, a 70% decrease YOY. The average U.S. round-trip ticket price decreased from $476 in December 2019 to $336 in December 2020.
Year over year, EMD sales for December decreased by 61% to $2,657,726, while EMD transactions were down 56% to 53,431.
More detailed information is available on ARC’s website.
Notes for Editors:
*Ticket Sales
**Electronic Miscellaneous Documents (EMD)
Hear from Chuck Thackston in the video below:
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rspoon@arccorp.com