Airline ticket sales exceed a 2019 milestone for the first time

Rising fuel prices may present an obstacle, but the airline recovery in the United States appears to be on track for now. With the Omicron coronavirus variant receding and pandemic restrictions being eased, the airline industry turned a corner last month, according to an analysis by the Adobe Digital Economy Index, which draws on online sales from six of the top 10 US airlines. According to the analysis, ticket sales for domestic flights in February exceeded those for the same month in 2019, a first since the pandemic began two years ago. “We’re seeing things open up in terms of people’s thinking about travel,” said Vivek Pandya, who led the analysis. “The question now becomes: How much can that momentum continue to push forward?” Travelers spent an estimated $6.6b on domestic flights in February, about 6% more than three years earlier, according to the analysis. The number of tickets sold was up 4%, while fares were up about 5%, lagging overall inflation. Early data indicate that the trends are holding up this month, too. The data bodes well for airlines, which have been preparing for months for what the industry expects to be a robust summer travel season. It also matches the optimism that several carriers expressed ahead of an investor conference hosted by JP Morgan on Tuesday. Story has details.<br/>