October's travel demand figures kicked off what proved to be a solid fourth quarter for business travel suppliers, with demand exceeding at least some of their expectations. International travel in particular showed healthy demand.
• ARC pointed to a strong U.S. dollar to explain the increased level of international travel. The average price of a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket held steady year over year at $557 but increased $10 from the prior month. Trips sold by corporate agencies and settled by ARC increased for the second straight month
• International air travel grew in all markets, most sharply in the Asia-Pacific, kicking off a fourth quarter that United Airlines EVP and chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella would call "exceptionally strong" in terms of international demand, noting transpacific capacity remained constrained.
• U.S. hotel demand stepped up, opening a quarter that exceeded the expectations of several analysts and hoteliers alike, with business travel demand building into 2025.
