The number of trips sold in August by corporate agencies and
settled by Airlines Reporting Corp. increased year over year for the seventh
consecutive month, according to ARC.
Those trips, sold in August by agencies with at least 70
percent self-reported corporate and government business, increased 8.5 percent
year over year. That's an even steeper climb than the 6.8 percent reported in
July, but below the 10.7 percent reported in June.
Average ticket prices also continued to rise. The average
price in August for a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket increased was $624, higher
than the $532 reported in August 2025 and the $619 reported in July 2026.
The average price for a domestic economy-class ticket in
August increased 17 percent year over year to $569, while the average price of
a premium-class ticket was up 11 percent to $1,454.
Total air ticket sales set an August record, according to
ARC. Total U.S.-based agency air ticket sales settled by ARC totaled nearly
$9.9 billion, up 19 percent year over year.
Passenger trips in August increased 5 percent year over year
to 25.8 million, with domestic trips and international trips each up 5 percent
for the period to 16.5 million and 9.3 million, respectively.
August NDC transactions accounted for 21.5 percent of total
ARC-settled transactions, representing a 3 percent increase year over year,
according to ARC. For the month, 1,221 travel agencies reported NDC
transactions.
RELATED: ARC:
Corp. Trips, Average Ticket Prices on the Rise