ARC said air ticket sales in March totaled more than $9.6 billion, a 22% increase year over year and the highest monthly total ARC has ever recorded. The previous record of $9.3 billion was set in March 2019.<\/p>\n
Total March passenger trips settled by ARC increased 3.5% to more than 25.8 million. International trips increased 17.1% to nearly 10.2 million, while domestic trips decreased 3.7% to about 15.6 million. The month’s sales and passenger trip totals were boosted by a “robust increase in international travel demand from the comparable prior-year period,” according to ARC.<\/p>\n
“ARC’s air travel ticket data supports what we’re hearing from airlines regarding strong spring and summer demand for both corporate and leisure travel,” ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement. “A larger portion of the summer demand is for top European destinations like London, Paris and Rome, which are showing significant year-over-year increases in air travel ticket purchases from U.S. travelers.”<\/p>\n
Month over month, total ticket sales increased 15%, while total passenger trips increased 15.3%. U.S. domestic trips increased 16% compared with February, and international trips increased 14.2% for the same period.<\/p>\n
The average domestic roundtrip airline ticket price was $559 in March, about 4% higher than the March 2022 average of $540 and about a 2% decrease from $571 in February.\u00a0<\/p>\n
March electronic miscellaneous document sales, which include fees for upgraded seats and checked bags, increased 127% year over year to $26.7 million and were up about 22% from February’s $21.8 million. Ancillary transactions increased 60% to more than 373,100 over the same period, representing a nearly 15 percent increase from February.<\/p>\n