ARC, which serves as the US financial settlement engine and data repository for the airlines' travel agency sales channel, today announced that domestic airline travel in 2010 returned to levels approaching those achieved prior to the financial crisis in 2008.

At the same time, ARC noted that 76 of the top 100 airports posted gains for the year, with select Midwest and New York State airports achieving the largest increases.

Based upon aggregate ticket volume data, ARC said domestic travel in 2010 increased by 7.0% from a year earlier. According to ARC's data, domestic travel – tickets with an origin and destination in the U.S. – dropped significantly with the onset of the recession in 2008, posting a decline of 7.1% in 2008, before bottoming out in 2009 when volume posted a year-over-year decline of another 8.3% below 2008 levels. Since that time, ARC's data show there was a steady recovery throughout 2010.

"There are clear signs that the environment for domestic travel has rebounded to levels we haven't seen since before the global recession," said David R.B. Collins, ARC's president and chief executive officer. "The data for 2010 clearly show that travellers are returning to the air for domestic travel."

Thirteen U.S. airports posted increases in excess of 10%, with Midwest and New York State airports leading the way. Grand Rapids, Mich., topped the list with a 21.6% increase from 2009 volume. Four other Midwest airports also posted increases of more than 10 percent: Akron, Ohio, 17.9%; Milwaukee, Wis., 17.5%; Madison, Wis., 10.9%, and Des Moines, Iowa, 10.9%. Three New York State airports achieved similar increases: White Plains, 16.5%, LaGuardia, 14.8% and Rochester, 11.1%.

Several airports outside the Midwest and New York State also posted strong growth, including Lexington, Ky., 16.2%; Fort Myers, Fla., 13.6%; Pensacola, Fla., 13.4%; Harrisburg, Pa., 10.9% and Memphis, Tenn., 10.2%.

ARC has more than 180 airlines as customers and hosts the single, largest database of airline tickets in the world. Analyzing its wealth of available data, ARC not only is able to identify critical information based on actual events but can also use such data to forecast patterns and future trends.

www.arccorp.com