Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) reported Oct. 15 that sales booked through U.S. travel agencies and online agencies reached $10.2 billion in September 2026, up 18% from a year earlier as passenger trips rose 2%. The annual increase in sales was 16 percentage points larger than the gain in trips.
The agency-channel total included 25.7 million passenger trips. Sales were 4% higher than in August, while ARC said trip volume was unchanged from the prior month.
Domestic itineraries accounted for 16.7 million trips, a 2% annual increase. International trips reached nine million, up 1%. ARC put the average price for a round-trip itinerary entirely within the United States at $669, 7% above August.
Across July through September, ARC counted $29.7 billion in sales, compared with $25.1 billion in the same quarter of 2025. Passenger trips for the period came to 77.4 million, an increase of 3.5%. ARC said the prior year’s third-quarter sales and passenger totals had each been records for that quarter at the time.
New Distribution Capability (NDC) transactions made up 21.2% of transactions settled by ARC in September. A total of 1,264 agencies reported NDC transactions, and ARC said the share was 7% higher than a year earlier.
“Demand for travel remains strong despite geopolitical uncertainty and inflationary pressure,” said Steve Solomon, ARC’s chief commercial officer.
The September tally drew on reports from 9,863 locations run by U.S. retail or corporate travel agencies, along with online travel agencies. It excludes tickets purchased directly from airlines; reported sales include taxes and fees.
