US Travel Agency Air Travel Ticket Sales Top $8 Billion, Big Three Airlines Report Record High Earnings

June 2023 U.S. travel agency air ticket sales increased 2 percent year over year to $8.1 billion.

According to the latest data from Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC), total sales for the first six months of 2023 were 27 percent higher than the first six months of 2022 and down only 0.3 percent compared to the final pre-pandemic year of 2019. Meanwhile, total passenger trips were up 11 percent over the same period compared to 2022 and down 12 percent compared to 2019.

International travel saw the biggest improvement from January to June 2023, ARC found, with the total number of international trips settled through the corporation increasing 22 percent year over year. By comparison, domestic trips saw growth of just 5 percent.

"Air travel’s resiliency was on full display through the first half of 2023," ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement. "Despite some economic headwinds, both business and leisure travelers showed strong demand, airlines continued to add flights, and travel agency sales continued to increase."

The Big Three U.S. airlines—American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines—are entering the second half of 2023 with significant momentum after reporting record-high earnings in the second quarter.

Last week, Delta boosted its earning projections following a strong second quarter while American announced record quarterly revenue of $14.1 billion during the second quarter of 2023. The figure marks a 4.7 percent increase year over year.

Delta Air Lines plane at sunset. (photo via Delta Air Lines Media)

"It was another fantastic quarter for American, driven by the hard work of our team to deliver a reliable operation for our customers and the continued strong demand for our product," American’s CEO Robert Isom said in a statement on Thursday. "Our operation is performing at historically strong levels, and we have worked to refresh our fleet and build a comprehensive global network, all of which helped to produce record revenues in the second quarter."

"We will build on this momentum the rest of the year and continue to prioritize reliability, profitability, accountability and strengthening our balance sheet," said Isom.

United recently lifted its full-year profit outlook after posting the highest-ever quarterly earnings amid surging demand for international travel. For the third quarter, United is anticipating a 10 to 13 percent year-on-year increase in revenue with a 16 percent increase in capacity.

The carrier is also forecasting adjusted earnings of $3.85 to $4.35 per share for the quarter.

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