Following September’s seasonal decline, total October 2023 U.S. air ticket sales fell 2 percent year over year and 5 percent month over month to $7.2 billion, according to Airlines Reporting Corp.’s latest report.
Total passenger trips were up 4 percent year over year to 21.7 million but were down about 2 percent from September 2023. U.S. domestic trips increased 5 percent compared with a year prior to 14.2 million but were down 1 percent sequentially. International trips increased 2 percent from last year to 7.5 million but dropped 3 percent month over month.
“October’s air travel data looked similar to 2022 with a slight decrease in sales and passenger trips from the prior month,” ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement. “Despite month-over-month declines, the growth in passenger trips compared to last October reflects sustained demand for domestic and international travel.”
The average price of a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket in October declined 4 percent year over year to $557 but was up 4 percent compared with September 2023, according to ARC.
October electronic miscellaneous document sales, which include fees for such ancillary products as upgraded seats and checked bags, increased 26 percent year over year to more than $21.1 million, but were down about 1.2 percent month over month. Ancillary transactions increased 28 percent versus October 2022 to nearly 364,700. They also were up about 1 percent month over month.
