U.S. Air Ticket Sales Remain Steady Despite Economic Uncertainty
by Daniel McCarthy
Photo: Nate Hovee / Shutterstock.com
As the U.S. travel industry continues to grapple with uncertainty, Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) released its March air ticket sales on Thursday, data compiled from more than 10,00 retail, corporate, and online travel agencies.
And, despite a weak report from February, Thursday’s numbers showed that Americans are still traveling.
Total sales hit $9.3 billion for March, flat year-over-over. Passenger trips, both domestic and international, were up 6% and 7% while ticket prices, both economy and premium, were down.
March was significantly better than February for total sales (up 8%) along with passenger trips (up 13%) both domestic (14%) and international (11%), as well.
“Monthly U.S. travel agency air ticket sales rebounded in March after a dip in February,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. “Overall, air travel demand grew slightly more than 3% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, despite global geopolitical uncertainties.”
Even with steady numbers from ARC, uncertainty remains around air ticket demand trends this year amid a shaky economic environment.
During the airline’s quarterly earnings call this week, United Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella specifically pointed to weakness on off-peak flights, citing a “softer macroeconomic environment.”
That weakness hasn’t appeared in premium cabins yet, but United issued two separate forecasts—one as a base case and another in the event of a U.S. recession. “We read the same headlines as you, and so we think that there is a reasonable chance that bookings could weaken from here,” United CEO Scott Kirby said.
