U.S. travel agencies in December processed 4.5 percent fewer air transactions than they did a year earlier,

according to ARC. Total air sales including refunds and exchanges dropped 3.5 percent, marking the third decline in the past four months. Excluding refunds and exchanges, domestic transactions and airfare sales in December each decreased by about 4 percent while international transactions and airfare sales each slid down almost 6 percent. For full-year 2012, U.S. agencies' air transaction volume fell by 0.5 percent versus 2011, while air sales including refunds and exchanges increased nearly 3 percent, according to ARC. Full-year 2012 domestic transactions slipped back 1.4 percent while domestic fare sales edged upward 1.4 percent. For international air tickets, full-year results were reversed, with transaction volume increasing 1.9 percent while fare sales declined about 1.9 percent.