ARLINGTON, Va.
- 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 6.43 percent year-over-year in the first nine months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, and 28 percent over the same period in 2009. January through September 2011 ticket sales totalled $64.2 billion, compared to $60.3 billion in 2010, and $50.1 billion in 2009.

Year-to-date passenger segments for the first nine months of 2011 fell 2.5 percent -- at 283.1 million segments, compared to 290.2 million in 2010 -- while reflecting a 4 percent increase over the same period in 2009. Ticket transactions for January through September 2011 were down slightly, at -1.96 percent compared to the same period in 2010, while up 6 percent over the same period in 2009.