May U.S.-based agency air ticket sales held steady at a little more than $9 billion, down 0.11 percent year over year and down 1.2 percent month over month. Still, it was the third month in a row that sales exceeded $9 billion.
Tickets sold by U.S. corporate agencies, those with at least 70 percent self-reported corporate and government business, were up 2.25 percent year over year. That growth rate is lower than the 9.4 percent increase reported in April.
Total May passenger trips were nearly 25.7 million, up 6.5 percent year over year and up from the 25.5 million reported in April. Domestic passenger trips accelerated by 9.6 percent versus a year prior to nearly 16.2 million, and were up from the 16.1 million reported the prior month. International trips exceeded 9.5 million, for a 1.7 precent increase year over year and a 1.1 percent gain month over month.
“Total sales haven’t been above $9 billion for three consecutive months since 2019,” ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement. “This is a sign of the continued strength for air travel in 2024. Travelers are also enjoying airfare that’s relatively unchanged from last year despite price pressures in other parts of the economy.”
The May average price of a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket was $543, down from $551 in April, and below the $562 reported in May 2023.
May electronic miscellaneous document sales, which include fees for such ancillary products as upgraded seats and checked bags, increased 17.5 percent year over year to $31.3 million. That figure also was up 3.2 percent month over month. Ancillary transactions increased 58.8 percent versus a year prior to more than 564,600, and also were up from the more than 535,300 reported in April 2024.
