ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC), the premier driver of air travel intelligence and commerce in the travel industry, reported today that the consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies dropped 2.4 percent* in February 2017 as compared to 2016, totaling $7.5 billion vs. $7.7. Total fares also decreased 1.5 percent to $5.9 billion compared to $6 billion in 2016. Total fares and total sales also dropped in February compared to the first month of 2017.
Ticket transactions continue to soar. Total transactions increased nearly 4 percent compared to February 2016. However, total transactions are down approximately 852,000 compared to January 2017.
The number of travelers paying cash increased sales totaling approximately $926 million in February, a 5 percent increase to the same month in 2016. Cash transactions were also on the rise with a nearly 10 percent increase compared to last year.
Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD)** sales comprised nearly $7 million, a 149 percent increase over 2016. EMD transactions increased 288 percent to more than 121,000 in February 2017 vs. nearly 31,000 in 2016.
More detailed information is available at https://www.arccorp.com/data.jsp.
About ARC:
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) is the premier driver of air travel intelligence and commerce in the travel industry with leading business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools and high-quality data. In 2016, ARC settled $86 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions for more than 7,000 travel agencies with 12,000 points of sale. Established in 1984, ARC is an ISO 27001 certified company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices in Louisville, Kentucky, Tampa, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.arccorp.com and www.twitter.com/arctalk.
Notes for Editors:
*Ticket Sales
- Results are based on monthly sales data ending February 28, 2017, from 12,596 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.
©2017 Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC). All rights reserved.
