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 throughSeptember 2011ticket sales totalled$64.2 billion, compared to$60.3 billionin 2010, and$50.1 billionin 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 throughSeptember 2011were down slightly, at -1.96 percent compared to the same period in 2010, while up 6 percent over the same period in 2009.