ARC Reports Air Sales Gains for 2010

ARC reported sales gains for December 2010 of $4.7 billion, an 8.1 percent gain. Year-to-date total sales hit $77.4 billion, a 17.7 percent gain. Year-to-date international fares grew 22.5 percent to $31 billion and domestic fares were up 14 percent to $34 billion. Credit card sales hit $69 billion, an 18.4 percent gain.

Earlier this week ARC said that based upon aggregate ticket volume data that domestic travel in 2010 increased by 7 percent from one year earlier. According to ARC’s data, domestic travel – tickets with an origin and destination in the U.S. – dropped significantly with the onset of the recession in 2008, posting a decline of 7.1% in 2008, before bottoming out in 2009 when volume posted a year-over-year decline of another 8.3% below 2008 levels.

Since that time, ARC said its data showed a steady recovery throughout 2010.

“There are clear signs that the environment for domestic travel has rebounded to levels we haven’t seen since before the global recession,” said David R.B. Collins, ARC’s president and CEO. “The data for 2010 clearly show that travellers are returning to the air for domestic travel.”

ARC said 192 carriers and 14,795 retail locations reported in December. STP satellite locations totaled 771 and VTC virtual locations hit 1,243 - up from 930 in January 2010. Average daily sales reported for December totaled $9,148.

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