by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:19 PM ET, Thu June 16, 2022
New data from Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) showed that accredited travel agency air ticket sales totaled $8.4 billion in May 2022.
May's totals showed a 135 percent year-over-year increase from May 2021 and an eight percent month-over-month increase from April 2022. The $8.4 billion in ARC-accredited agency sales was the first time total monthly sales have eclipsed $8 billion since January 2020.
In total, month-over-month results for May 2022 indicate total sales increased 8.2 percent, total passenger trips increased one percent, U.S. domestic trips decreased one percent and international trips increased six percent.
"Demand remains strong for air travel heading into the summer travel season," ARC vice president of global customers and data products Steve Solomon said. "Now that the U.S. inbound international testing requirement has been dropped, we anticipate international passenger trips to continue their upward trajectory."
Leisure travel agencies are showing positive signs ahead of the busy summer season, with the share of leisure-focused agency tickets sold through May for vacations planned between June and August increasing 52 percent year-over-year compared to the share of corporate and online ticket sales.
International trips settled by ARC in May 2022 increased 82 percent year-over-year to 8.4 million, while U.S. domestic trips increased 28 percent to 14.3 million during the same period. Total passenger trips also increased 43 percent from 15.8 million to 22.8 million.
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