August U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Surpass $8 Billion

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) released data showing August 2023 U.S. travel agency air ticket sales increased 10% from August 2022 to $8 billion.* August passenger trips reached their highest level compared to pre-pandemic years, with the August 2023 passenger trip total at 94% of August 2019 levels. 

Results for August 2023 showed: 

ARC Ticketing MetricTotalMonth-Over-Month VarianceYear-Over-Year Variance

Total sales$8,048,876,432+6%+10%

Total passenger trips23,427,824+7%+8%

U.S. domestic trips15,045,213+10%+6%

International trips8,382,611+2%+12%

Average ticket price$514-3%-2%

“The positive travel trends for August matched what we’re hearing from the largest airlines regarding the strength of air travel demand,” said Chuck Thackston, managing director of data science and research at ARC. “Travelers continue to take advantage of lower airfare, particularly in the U.S. domestic market.” 

August marked the third straight month the average ticket price declined for a U.S. domestic round-trip air ticket. The average ticket price was $514 for the month.  

Ancillary sales increased 75% year over year to $24 million. Ancillary transactions increased 52% to 378,565 over the same period.**