August 2024 Air Ticket Sales Reach $8.1 Billion, Reflecting Growth in U.S. Travel Agency Market

Published on September 20, 2024

Today, Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) announced that U.S. travel agency air ticket sales for August 2024 reached $8.1 billion, marking the highest total for August since ARC began tracking sales in 2017. This figure represents a 1% increase compared to August 2023. Passenger trips in August totaled 24.3 million, reflecting a 4% rise in U.S. domestic trips and a 3% increase in international trips from the previous year.

Here are the key results for August 2024:

In August 2024, 18.8% of ARC’s monthly transaction volume originated from New Distribution Capability (NDC) transactions, reflecting a significant 50.4% year-over-year increase. Over 890 travel agencies participated in NDC transactions during the month.

These results are based on monthly sales data ending August 31, 2024, from 10,364 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations, satellite ticket printing offices, and online travel agencies. Sales data does not include tickets purchased directly from airlines.

The average ticket price listed is for round-trip tickets settled through ARC for itineraries that included only U.S. domestic travel. Passenger trips account for the total number of passengers traveling from one airport to another, whether on direct or connecting flights, with newly issued trips added and refunded trips deducted for a net count.

U.S. domestic passenger trips are defined as those settled through ARC where the entire itinerary is within the U.S., while international passenger trips include those with travel occurring to or originating from airports outside the U.S. Total sales encompass the total amount paid for tickets, including taxes and fees.