Passenger Trips Increased as Monthly Average Airfare Fell for Third-Consecutive Month

ARLINGTON, Va. – September 15, 2022 – Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) today released data showing ARC-accredited travel agency air ticket sales totaling $7.3 billion in August 2022, a 127% year-over-year increase.* The average round-trip U.S. air travel ticket price declined for the third-straight month, coming in at $526. This average ticket price is a 5% decrease from July 2022 but a 32% increase year over year.

Month over month, August 2022 results showed:

• Total sales increased 6%.
• Total passenger trips up 9%.
• U.S. domestic trips increased 11%.
• International trips increased 5%.

“Travelers responded to declining airfares by purchasing air travel tickets at a rate we typically don’t see this time of year,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. “Leisure air travel ticket sales were above pre-pandemic levels for the entire month of August, while online travel agencies and corporate-focused travel agencies showed minor gains.”

Total passenger trips settled by ARC in August 2022 increased 43% year over year from 15.2 million to 21.7 million. U.S. domestic trips increased 30% year over year to 14.2 million, and international trips increased 74% to 7.4 million over the same period.

EMD sales increased 116% year over year to $13,755,346. EMD transactions increased 92% to 248,821 over the same period.**

More detailed information is available on ARC’s sales statistics page. Additional breakdown of corporate, leisure and online ticket sales can be found on the ARC COVID-19 data 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 August 31, 2022, from 10,642 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.

**Electronic Miscellaneous Documents (EMD)

• Includes fees for products and services such as upgraded seats, checked bags, an unaccompanied minor, pet-in-cabin, etc.