The number of September corporate trips sold by U.S. agencies reversed course after eight months of year-over-year declines, Airlines Reporting Corp. reported Thursday.
September trips sold by travel agencies with at least 70 percent self-reported corporate and government business counted by ARC increased 0.44 percent compared with September 2024. The increase correlates to recent commentary from airline executives about a corporate travel rebound in the third quarter and a positive outlook for the segment. Still, the increase was less than a half of a percent, and challenges remain in counting corporate trips.
Total September U.S. air ticket sales settled by ARC were nearly $8.7 billion, an 8.1 percent increase year over year and a record for September ARC-recorded sales—the third month in a row the total set a monthly record.
Passenger trips for September increased 6.8 percent year over year to more than 25.2 million. Domestic trips were up 6.5 percent for the same period to 16.3 million, while international trips were up 7.3 percent to 8.9 million.
"Strength in pricing and passenger demand helped ARC-accredited agencies close out the third quarter at record levels," ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement.
About 19.9 percent of total September ARC-settled transactions were New Distribution Capability transactions, up from 18.6 percent in September 2024. In September 2025, 1,130 travel agencies reported NDC transactions.
The September average price for a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket was $558, up from $547 reported a year prior and $532 in August 2025.
The average price in September of an economy-class ticket increased about 1 percent year over year to $501, while the average price of a premium-class ticket was up about 6 percent to $1,368 for the same period.
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