Airlines Reporting Corp. reported that the U.S. travel agency channel posted growth in 2017. Consolidated ticket sales handled by U.S.-based travel agencies rose 3.4 percent year-over-year, reaching $88.5 billion in 2017 compared with $85.6 billion in 2016.
December 2017 ticket sales were nearly flat but showed a modest gain, increasing almost 1 percent to $5.4 billion versus $5.3 billion in December 2016. That month’s uptick reflected a combination of factors, including a lower average ticket price, a rise in passenger trips and overall economic strength during 2017.
On average, the price of a domestic round-trip ticket continued to trend downward. In 2017 the average domestic round-trip fare fell about 1 percent to $483 compared with the prior year, extending the pattern of decreasing fares that began in 2015.
Passenger volume recorded by ARC for U.S. travel agencies also climbed. Total passenger trips grew 3.5 percent to more than 2.68 million in 2017, up from approximately 2.59 million in 2016, contributing to the higher overall sales dollar figure.
Taken together, the data point to a travel market in 2017 characterized by modest fare reductions, higher traveler volumes and steady revenue growth for agencies handling ticket sales on behalf of airlines.