Average fare stays flat against 2023

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) announced that October 2024 US travel agency air ticket sales totaled $8.1 billion — a 12% increase from October 2023. October’s total passenger trips reached 23.7 million, indicating a 9% year-over-year increase. The average ticket price remained steady at $557.

Other results from ARC included US domestic trips —15.5 million (up 1% month over month, 9% year over year); and international trips — 8.2 million (down 2% month over month, up 10% year over year). The average October ticket price was $557 (up 2% month over month, flat year over year). The average ticket price is for a roundtrip ticket settled through ARC for an itinerary that included only US domestic travel.

Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer, said the data “showed a strong start to the quarter.” He added that the increased sales were driven largely by a strong dollar and “the yearly increase in international passenger trips is a positive trend of what we expect to continue through the end of the calendar year.”

In October, ARC’s monthly NDC transactions reached 19.1% — a 14.4% increase year over year. A total of 822 travel agencies reported NDC transactions during the month.