Mega corporate travel
agency air transactions processed through ARC in June dropped 2.3 percent year
over year, the fourth such decline in the past five months. Including American Express, BCD Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel,
Egencia, HRG and Omega World Travel, the mega agencies' aggregate transaction
decline was narrower than the 3.9 percent drop ARC reported for all agencies.
Meanwhile, the average fare processed through mega travel management companies
during June declined versus the prior year for an eleventh consecutive month.
At $770, the blended average mega agency fare
in June (including one-way and roundtrip tickets, but excluding taxes) was down
2.2 percent year over year.
According to data from ARC AeroTrend, average
fares also have been falling in other agency segments. Among those
characterized as "other," the June fare
dropped to $651 from $653 a year earlier. The aggregate average fare among "online"
agencies—including Orbitz for Business and
Travelocity Business—bucked the trend by rising to $397 this June from $379.
Online agencies as a group,
meanwhile, experienced a 7.4 percent year over year
reduction in air transactions, marking a 16th consecutive month of decline, according
to ARC. The aggregate transaction count for agencies classified as
"other" slid 2.3 percent.
ARC's report showing fewer transactions among
mega TMCs during June followed the latest American Express earnings report,
which showed that company's global corporate travel sales dipped 2 percent in
the second quarter, a sixth consecutive quarter of decline. Meanwhile, Hogg
Robinson Group on Tuesday reported that client travel activity during the June
quarter rose 7 percent year over year. HRG, which is headquartered the United
Kingdom, did not provide country-specific data for the June quarter, but for
the March quarter reported a 3.9 percent drop in client volume on North Atlantic routes.