Airfares for tickets processed through ARC during April generally were higher versus the prior-year period, across most U.S. agency segments and advance purchase periods, with overall averages reaching heights not seen for about a year—or much more in some cases. Fares purchased no more than six days in advance were the exception, according to data from ARC's AeroTrend analysis tool.
Average roundtrip ticket prices (excluding tax) rose in each agency segment: to $765 from $732 among mega travel agencies, to $423 from $393 among those classified as online travel agencies, and to $669 from $656 among the "other" category, representing all agencies other than megas and online travel agencies. For the megas, $765 is the highest average roundtrip fare reported by ARC for any month since June 2013. Megas include American Express, BCD Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Expedia's Egencia, Hogg Robinson Group and Omega World Travel.
To find an overall higher average fare among either the online agency segment or the "other" category, one would have to go back even further, at least to 2011, before ARC began providing to BTN such airfare breakouts.
For both mega agencies and those classified as "other," the prices for the closest-in bookings dropped versus April 2013. For the megas, the average fell to $721 from $733, and for other-category agencies the average reduced to $649 from $661.
But those were the only reductions. For advance purchase periods of seven to 13 days, 14 to 20 days and 21 to 180 days, average fares were up in each of the three agency categories.
Transaction Trends Continue
Meanwhile, ARC data showed that in aggregate, megas and "other" agencies in April experienced another month of rising booking activity. Among megas, ARC transactions, excluding refunds and exchanges, increased 2.5 percent year over year to more than 2.6 million. That represented a third consecutive month of growth after a small decline recorded in January.
The other category remained the strongest segment, with ARC transactions increasing 8 percent to more than 4.9 million. Those agencies overall now have experienced higher volumes for 10 straight months.
According to ARC data, online agencies took another hit, with April transactions falling back 5 percent to a little more than 4 million. In the 16 months since the start of 2013, online agencies as a group experienced declining ARC transactions in 14 of them.