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In Brief: As the hospitality industry recovers from the pandemic, U.S. travel agencies reported a surge in air ticket sales in May, approaching a total of $10 billion.
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April U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Surpass $10 Billion – Image Credit Unsplash
Total Passenger Trips Match May 2025 Levels
Today, Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) released data showing U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales totaled $9.8 billion in May 2026 — a 15% increase from May 2025.* Total passenger trips settled by ARC remained steady year over year, reaching 25.7 million in May 2026.
Results for May 2026 showed:
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ARC Ticketing Metric
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Total
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Month-Over-
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Year-Over-Year
|
|
Total Sales
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$9.8 billion
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-2 %
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+15 %
|
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Total Passenger Trips
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25.7 million
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-3 %
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0 %
|
|
U.S. Domestic Trips
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16.2 million
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-2 %
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1 %
|
|
International Trips
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9.5 million
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-4 %
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-1 %
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Average Ticket Price
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$628
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1 %
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+18 %
|
|
Average Economy
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$569
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1 %
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+20 %
|
|
Average Premium
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$1,429
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0 %
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+14 %
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“The May sales data indicates that air travel demand continues to endure, despite evolving economic and political circumstances,” said Steve Solomon, ARC’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Travelers are showing a continued prioritization of travel, keeping overall demand steady as we begin the summer travel season.”
NDC transactions also remained steady, accounting for 21.6% of the total ARC-settled transactions in May 2026 — a slight increase from 21.4% in May 2025. In May 2026, 1,197 travel agencies reported NDC transactions.
More detailed information is available on ARC’s sales statistics page.
*Ticket Sales
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Results are based on monthly sales data ending May 31, 2026, from 9,865 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations and online travel agencies. Results do not include sales of tickets purchased directly from airlines.
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The average ticket price (USD) is for a round-trip ticket settled through ARC for an itinerary that included only U.S. domestic travel.
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Passenger trips include the total number of passengers traveling 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.
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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.
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Total sales are equal to the total amount paid for a ticket, which includes taxes and fees.
**Average Economy Class Ticket Price
***Average Premium Class Ticket Price
