Demand for air travel persists despite rising costs.
U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales totaled $10.2 billion in September 2026, signaling an 18% increase from September 2025, according to the latest data from Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC).
The jump was spurred by higher airfares, with the average ticket price settled by U.S. travel agencies for September 2026 coming in at $669, up 7% from the previous month and 20% year over year.
The $10.2 billion figure arrives on the heels of a record-breaking August in which sales climbed to $9.8 billion.
According to ARC's latest report, passenger trips reached 25.7 million in September 2026, a 2% year-over-year increase.
Meanwhile, third-quarter 2026 sales totaled $29.7 billion, up 18% from $25.1 billion in the third quarter of 2025, and passenger trips for Q3 rose 3.5% to 77.4 million.
"Demand for travel remains strong despite geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressure, with over 77 million airline trips ticketed through travel agencies in the third quarter. This reflects a 3.5% increase in trips from the same period in 2025," ARC’s Chief Commercial Officer Steve Solomon said in a statement.
"Even as the summer season wound down, passenger volume held steady with September air ticket sales of $10.2 billion, up 4% from August. Overall, September capped an exceptional third quarter," added Solomon.
ARC data also shows that NDC transactions picked up slightly last month, accounting for 21.2% of total ARC-settled transactions in September 2026. The figure marks a 7% increase from the previous year.
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