- US travel agency air ticket sales reach record $9.8bn in August
- Sales up 19pc year on year
- Passenger trips total 25.8m
- Average ticket prices rise 17pc to $624
- NDC transactions account for 21.5pc of ARC settled transactions
US travel agency air ticket sales reached a record $9.8bn in August 2026 marking a 19pc increase compared to August 2025 according to data released by the Airlines Reporting Corporation. Total passenger trips reached 25.8m a fivepc increase. Average ticket prices rose 17pc to $624. Economy class average reached $569 while premium class average reached $1,454.
US domestic trips hit 16.5m up 5pc year over year while international trips reached 9.3m also up 5pc year over year. New Distribution Capability transactions grew to account for 21.5pc of all ARC settled transactions with 1,221 individual travel agencies reporting active NDC utilisation during the month.
Strong summer travel patterns from June and July carried into August despite higher average ticket prices driven by rising operational and jet fuel costs.
