The consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies in April increased 5.9 percent year over year to $9.1 billion, according to Airlines Reporting Corp. The average U.S. round-trip ticket price was $499. The total number of passenger trips settled by ARC for U.S. travel agencies rose 4.1 percent year over year to 27.7 million. U.S. domestic trips rose 4.2 percent, while international trips grew 3.9 percent. The number of trips handled by agencies that self-report as handling at least 70 percent corporate/government business rose 3.9 percent. Electronic miscellaneous document sales, which cover ancillary purchases, rose 23.7 percent to $8.6 billion, while EMD transactions fell 3.9 percent to 116,408. ARC attributed the 23.7 percent increase in sales volume to ancillaries for group travel, such as tour groups. A similar single-month trend happened around this time last year, according to a spokesperson. ARC doesn't expect this increase to continue through the rest of the year.
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