Total September 2023 air ticket sales declined 6 percent from August 2023 to $7.6 billion as the peak summer travel season wound down, according to Airlines Reporting Corp.’s latest report. That figure represents a 3 percent increase, however, year over year.
Total passenger trips were up 4 percent to 22.1 million from September 2022, but down 6 percent from the prior month. The same pattern held true for U.S. domestic and international ticket sales. Domestic trips were up 3 percent year over year to 14.4 million, yet down 5 percent month over month. International trips were up 6 percent from September 2022 to 7.7 million, but down 8 percent versus August 2023.
“Air travel demand has remained steady in 2023, while year-over-year sales and passenger trips are reverting to historic seasonality patterns,” ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement.
For the third quarter, U.S. travel agency air ticket sales increased 8 percent year over year, while passenger trips were up 7 percent for the same period, according to ARC.
The average price of a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket in September declined 4.1 percent year over year to $537, but was up 4.5 percent versus August 2023.
September electronic miscellaneous document sales, which include fees for such ancillary products as upgraded seats and checked bags, increased 48 percent year over year to nearly $21.4 million, but were down about 11 percent month over month. Ancillary transactions increased 41 percent versus September 2022 to nearly 361,000. They were down about 4.7 percent month over month.
