January 2022 U.S. Travel Agency Sales Jump 187% Year Over Year

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) today released data showing ARC-accredited travel agency air ticket sales totaling $3.6 billion in January 2022, a 187% year-over-year increase from January 2021.* The total net sales amount marks a 17% month-over-month increase from December 2021, when sales equaled $3.1 billion.

Month over month, January 2022 results showed:

• Total passenger trips increased 25%.
• U.S. domestic trips up 21%.
• International trips up 33%.

"January's air travel data is encouraging. We expect continued recovery as more governments drop mandates and travel restrictions due to the omicron variant receding as well as a bounce in corporate ticketing," said Steve Solomon, vice president of global sales, marketing, operations and customer experience at ARC. "As we look ahead to spring travel, some of the historically popular destinations are showing booking numbers closer to pre-pandemic years, and in some cases, exceeding those levels."

Total passenger trips settled by ARC in January 2022 increased 106% year over year from 7.9 million to 16.4 million. International trips jumped 120% to 5.4 million, while U.S. domestic trips nearly doubled their year-over-year total with 11 million. The average U.S. round-trip ticket price in January 2022 was $409, a 22% increase from $335 in January 2021.

January 2022 EMD sales increased 185% year over year to $7,187,871. EMD transactions increased 174% to 138,080 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:

As a leader in air travel intelligence and omnichannel distribution, ARC provides platforms, tools and insights that help the global travel community connect, grow and thrive. ARC enables the diverse retailing strategies of its customers by providing innovative technology, flexible settlement solutions and access to the world's most comprehensive air transaction dataset. In 2019, ARC managed more than $97.4 billion in transactions between airlines and travel agencies, representing more than 302 million passenger trips. For more information, please visit arccorp.com.

Notes:

*Ticket Sales

• Results are based on monthly sales data ending January 31, 2022, from 10,746 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.

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