Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) released data showing ARC-accredited travel agency air ticket sales increased 199% year over year in October 2021. The consolidated dollar value of tickets sold by agencies during October totaled $4.3 billion, the third month in 2021 for which sales have topped $4 billion.

Month over month, October 2021 results showed:

• Total sales up 33%.
• Total passenger trips increased 14%.
• U.S. domestic trips increased 11%.
• International trips increased 21%.

“The announcement that the U.S. would open its borders to vaccinated international travelers on November 8 led to a significant increase in airline ticket purchases throughout October,” said Steve Solomon, vice president of global sales, marketing, operations and customer experience at ARC. “We saw double-digit percentage increases in new tickets from European countries to the U.S., a positive sign for the travel industry as we enter the holiday months.”

Total passenger trips settled by ARC in October 2021 increased 115% year over year from 8.1 million to 17.6 million. U.S. domestic passenger trips increased 112% to 12.1 million YOY. International passenger trips increased 123% to 5.4 million over the same period. The average U.S. round-trip ticket price in October 2021 was $425, a 13% increase from $377 in October 2020.

Year over year, October 2021 EMD sales increased 157% to $7,861,025. EMD transactions increased 146% to 163,212.

More detailed information is available on ARC’s sales statistics page. Additional breakdown of corporate, leisure and online ticket sales can be found on the ARC COVID-19 data page.