ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC), the financial settlement link between airlines and travel sellers, reported today that the consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies decreased by 4 percent* in the first five months of 2016 as compared to 2015, totaling $38.8 billion vs. $40.4 billion. May 2016 ticket sales were down 3 percent to $7.8 billion against the same month last year. Ticket transactions increased 5.6 percent to 72 million in 2016 vs. 2015, pointing to the overall effect of lower airfares.
Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD)** sales comprised $14.8 million of the year-to-date sales vs. $5.2 million in 2015, and $3.3 million of the May 2016 sales as compared to $1.1 million in May 2015. EMD transactions increased 341 percent to 196,161 so far in 2016 vs. 44,440 in 2015.
More detailed information is available at https://www.arccorp.com/data.jsp.
About ARC:
ARC powers the U.S.-based travel industry with premier business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools, and powerful data analytics. In 2015, ARC settled $88.3 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions for more than 9,400 travel agencies with 13,000 points of sale. By providing world-class business services and products, ARC enables participating agencies and over 200 carriers to focus on what's important—increasing their revenue. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.arccorp.com.
Notes for Editors:
*Ticket Sales
- Results are based on monthly sales data ending May 31, 2016, from 12,789 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations, satellite ticket printing offices and online travel agencies.
- Results do not include sales of tickets purchased directly from airlines.
- Total sales are equal to the total amount paid for a ticket, which includes taxes and fees.
**Electronic Miscellaneous Documents (EMD)
- Includes fees for products and services such as upgraded seats, checked luggage, an unaccompanied minor, pet-in-cabin, etc.
©2016 Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC). All rights reserved.
