US travel agencies’ air ticket sales still down nearly 70%

Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) today reported the following consolidated airline ticketing volume variances, compared to the same period in 2019. These totals represent sales generated by U.S. travel agencies* and processed through the ARC settlement system. Data figures are for the seven days ending December 20, 2020.

  Tickets Issued for All Itineraries:

  7-Day Period Ending Ticket Variance
 vs. Same Week 2019
 Sales Variance
vs. Same Week 2019
November 29 -70.5% -81.0%
December 6 -70.8% -81.4%
December 13 -68.2% -80.3%
December 20 -66.2% -80.2%
Year-to-Date (YTD) -61.53% -69.55%

  Variances in Tickets Sold by Segment for All Itineraries:

7-Day Period Ending Corporate Online Leisure/Other
November 29 -85.2% -60.9% -72.0%
December 6 -86.0% -60.1% -71.4%
December 13 -84.7% -56.3% -69.9%
December 20 -84.9% -51.3% -69.6%
Year-to-Date (YTD) -71.27% -53.95%  -62.56%

*Notes

  • Results are based on weekly sales data ending December 20, 2020, from 11,363 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations, and online travel agencies. Results do not include sales of tickets purchased directly from airlines and are not net of refunds or exchanges.
  • Total sales are equal to the total amount paid for a ticket, which includes taxes and fees.

eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News Online