ARC Finds Air Ticket Sales for Spring Travel Grew 18 Percent Since 2014

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) today released new analysis that shows air ticket sales for spring travel* over the last four years is growing steadily, up 18 percent since 2014, to the top destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico as well as top spring destinations in the U.S. This trend is consistent with the steady overall international travel increase reported by ARC-a seven percent increase year-over-year (YOY) in March of 2018 as compared to 2017.

Despite devastating hurricanes in late 2017, air ticket purchases to areas less impacted remain very strong in 2018. Spring travel to the Bahamas increased 24 percent while the Dominican Republic and Mexico increased 12 percent and 11 percent respectively. And while air ticket sales to Jamaica increased 4 percent, the impact of the storms are still having an impact on Puerto Rico, which saw with a 27 percent decrease in sales in 2018 compared to 2017.

"Travel to the Caribbean was soft the last couple of years and a major factor was the media coverage of the Zika virus, which peaked about the time spring break was happening," said Chuck Thackston, ARC's managing director of data science and research. "Some of those travelers probably went to U.S. and Mexico destinations in prior years, and after the hurricanes last year that travel trend is continuing."

Overall, average ticket prices decreased for spring travel by 4 percent, while the ticket prices for travel to the Caribbean were up around 5 percent. Travelers flying to Mexico this spring paid an average of $529 while those flying to the Caribbean paid an average of $641.