US-based travel agency air ticket sales in 2023 totaled $95.3 billion, the highest since the record $97.4 billion in 2019 and a 16% increase from 2022, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp. December closed out the year with $5.7 billion in US travel agency air ticket sales, a 5% increase year over year. December’s ancillary sales (including fees for upgraded seats, checked bags, etc.) increased 32% year over year to $20.6 million, while ancillary transactions increased 36% to 329,475 over the same period.

Average ticket price in December was $542, down 1% from November and up 2% over a year earlier.

Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer, said 2023 was a pivotal year for air travel as US travel agencies and their partners responded to growing traveler demand and significant shifts in airlines’ distribution strategies. It was also a year, he said, when travelers continued to combine corporate and leisure trips and spend more on ancillary products and services. “The industry focus changed from post-pandemic recovery to meeting the needs of travelers in this new operating environment,” Solomon said.
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