The average cost of an airline ticket continues its march upward, but it is not deterring consumers to book travel. That is according to new data released on Thursday by the Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC).
According to ARC, the average U.S. round-trip ticket price increased again in April, now totaling $585. That is 8% higher than March, which saw an average ticket price of $540, and 45% higher than the same month last year. It is also the highest average price recorded in the past seven years.
Still, despite the increase, data from April shows that the total air ticket sales are up 156% over April 2021, good news for a U.S. travel industry that continues its recovery to, and past, the numbers it reached in 2019.
In fact, total passenger trips settled by ARC in April 2022 increased 52% year over year from 14.7 million to 22.5 million, including a 41% increase to 14.5 million for domestic trips and a 78% increase to 7.9 million for…