U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales, Fares Drop in February

Cash sales, transactions saw an uptick

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.

Contacts

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC)
Hillary Smith, 703-341-1207
hsmith@arccorp.com