US Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Sets Seven-Year High in April

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) released new data on Thursday revealing that ARC-accredited travel agency air ticket sales reached $7.7 billion in April 2022, signaling a 156 percent year-over-year increase from April 2021.

However, ARC reported that month-over-month total sales performance remained relatively flat due to an expected seasonal decline in passenger trips being offset by airfare costs reaching levels not seen in as long as seven years. The average U.S. roundtrip ticket price for April came in at $585, an 8 percent increase from March and a 45 percent year-over-year increase.

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Month-over-month, total sales decreased 1 percent in April while total passenger trips decreased 10 percent, U.S. domestic trips were down 11 percent and international trips declined 8 percent.

Total passenger trips settled by ARC last month increased 52 percent year-over-year from 14.7 million to 22.5 million. U.S. domestic trips increased 41 percent to 14.5 million while international trips increased 78 percent to 7.9 million over the same period as more countries have loosened COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Finally, April’s Electronic Miscellaneous Documents or EMD sales—including fees for products and services such as upgraded seats, checked bags, an unaccompanied minor, pet-in-cabin, etc.—increased 148 percent year-over-year to $14,837,620. Meanwhile, EMD transactions increased 79 percent to 225,135 over that same period.

“April’s month-over-month sales and passenger totals are in line with pre-pandemic travel trends. We continue to monitor the impact higher airfares have on traveler demand,” Steve Solomon, vice president of global customers and data products at ARC, said in a statement accompanying Thursday’s report. “Pre-pandemic, we typically saw a decrease in passenger trips from March to April and an even more profound drop in sales compared to what we saw this year.”

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Click here to view more data from ARC.