The summer travel season wrapped up on a high note, according to new data from Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), with U.S.-based travel agencies and online travel agencies recording their highest-ever August air ticket sales.
Travel agency air ticket sales reached $9.8 billion in August 2026, up 19% from August 2025 and 2% from July. The previous August record was set in 2025. Passenger trips also remained strong, reaching 25.8 million, a 5% increase from the same month last year.
The numbers suggest that demand for air travel remained steady through the final full month of summer. Domestic travel accounted for 16.5 million passenger trips in August, while international travel accounted for another 9.3 million. Both figures were essentially unchanged from July but were up 5% year over year.
For travelers, however, the increase in spending was considerable. The average ticket price for domestic round-trip itineraries settled through ARC was $624, a 17% increase from August 2025. Average economy fares specifically reached $569, also up 17%.
ARC's figures include ticket sales reported by 9,879 U.S. retail and corporate travel agency locations and online travel agencies. They do not include tickets purchased directly from airlines, so the numbers aren't a complete tally of all air travel in the country.
Looking at the underlying data, domestic fares accounted for about $3.94 billion of August's ticket sales, up 23.6% from a year earlier. International fares totaled about $3.60 billion, an increase of 10.2%. Taxes and fees added another $2.28 billion, up 25.8%. Airline fees alone climbed 44.7% year over year.
Despite those higher costs, passenger volume continued to grow. ARC recorded 210.5 million passenger trips through the first eight months of 2026, a 4.1% increase over the same period in 2025. Domestic trips were up 4.2%, while international trips rose 4%.
August was also part of a broader year of strong sales through travel agencies. ARC's January-through-August total reached approximately $78.6 billion, 14.3% higher than the same period in 2025. Monthly sales had already crossed the $10 billion mark in January, March and April, while July sales reached $9.6 billion before August set its new monthly record.
ARC's August results continue a pattern that has emerged throughout 2026. Travel agency air sales have repeatedly posted year-over-year gains, with July sales up 18%, May up 15% and April up 15%. The agency also reported that the first half of 2026 produced a record $58.8 billion in U.S.-based travel agency air ticket sales, 12% more than the first half of 2025.
