ARC, the financial settlement link between airlines and travel sellers, reported today that the consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.-based travel agencies increased 6.24 percent* year-over-year in the first ten months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, and 26 percent over the same period in 2009. January through October 2011 ticket sales totalled $71.1 billion, compared to $66.9 billion in 2010, and $56.2 billion in 2009.

Year-to-date passenger segments for the first ten months of 2011 fell 2.7 percent – at 313.6 million segments, compared to 322.3 million in 2010 – while reflecting a 3.5 percent increase over the same period in 2009. Ticket transactions for January through October 2011 were down slightly, at -1.9 percent compared to the same period in 2010, while slightly over 5.5 percent over the same period in 2009.

More detailed information is available at https://www.arccorp.com/news/stat/2011-10.jsp

About ARC:
As the financial backbone of the U.S. travel industry, ARC enables commerce among travel agencies, airlines, and travel suppliers, and offers them secure and accurate financial settlement services. More than 15,000 travel agencies and 190 airlines use the company's transaction settlement services that, in 2010, totaled more than $77 billion in value. ARC also supplies transactional data to organizations, facilitating better business decisions through fact-based market analyses. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www.arccorp.com.

Notes for Editors:

Ticket Sales

• Results based on sales data ending October 31, 2011 from 14,812 U.S. retail and corporate travel agencies, satellite ticket printing offices, and online travel agencies.
• Does 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.

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