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 5.48 percent* year-over-year in the first half of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, and 13 percent over the same period in 2010. From January through June 2012, ticket sales totalled $46.4 billion, compared to $44 billion in 2011, and $41 billion in 2010.

Year-to-date passenger segments for the first half of 2012 increased slightly by 0.46 percent – at 185.2 million segments, compared to 184.4 million in 2011 – while reflecting a 1.91 percent decrease from the same period in 2010. Ticket transactions between January and June 2012 were flat over the same period in 2011, while down by 1.6 percent compared to the same period in 2010.