The number of air trips in August sold by U.S. corporate agencies declined for the eighth month in a row, according to Airlines Reporting Corp., even as overall sales increased.
August trips sold by corporate agencies, those with at least 70 percent self-reported corporate and government business, and settled by ARC declined 6.4 percent year over year.
Total August U.S.-based air ticket sales settled by ARC exceeded $8.3 billion, according to the company. Sales were up nearly 2.5 percent year over year, and it is the second month in a row that the sales total set a monthly record.
Passenger trips for August were up 1 percent year over year to nearly 24.6 million. Domestic trips held steady, increasing 0.2 percent to nearly 15.7 million, while international trips reached 8.9 million, an increase of 2.6 percent compared with August 2024.
"Air travel demand in August highlighted momentum seen throughout the summer as ARC-settled passenger trips were above 2024 levels in June, July and August," ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement. "This data reflects recent reports from multiple airlines of strong demand and encouraging outlooks."
Several U.S. carriers this month have pointed to recent increases in business travel demand.
New Distribution Capability August transactions accounted for 20.8 percent of the total ARC-settled transactions, up from 18.8 percent a year prior. A total of 1,093 travel agencies reported NDC transactions.
The August average price for a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket was $532, up from the $515 reported in August 2024 and the $528 reported for July.
The average price in August of an economy-class ticket increased about 4 percent year over year to $485, while the average price of a premium-class ticket was up about 7 percent to $1,309 for the same period.
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