U.S. travel agency air ticket sales for November 2023 were up 3.4 percent versus November 2022. According to Airlines Reporting Corp.’s (ARC) recently released data, air ticket sales last month totaled $6.8 billion. That number also represents a 7 percent decrease in total sales from October 2023.
Total passenger trips, including domestic and international trips, were all up last month versus the same period in 2022; however, only international trips were up month-over-month. Total passenger trips for November equaled 20.5 million—a 7 percent increase over 2022 and a 6 percent drop from October—and was broken down into 12.9 million domestic trips and 7.6 million international trips. Domestic travel was up 7 percent over 2022 and down 9 percent compared to the prior month; international trips were up 8 and 1 percent over last year and October 2023, respectively.
In addition, the average ticket price for November was $547, a 2 percent decrease from both last year and the month prior. November’s ancillary sales (which includes fees for products and services such as upgraded seats, checked bags, an unaccompanied minor, pet-in-cabin, etc.) increased 43 percent year-over-year to $22.5 million, while ancillary transactions increased 47 percent to 379,644 over the same period.
“U.S. consumers continue to spend on international air travel. Our data reflects a slight increase in international passenger trips from October to November, which is uncommon for the time of year,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. “Despite seeing the typical declines in month-over-month air travel sales and passenger trips, airlines reported a record number of travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday season.”
Source: ARC
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