Can a company ask a manager to approve an employee's trip before the booking is confirmed?

Yes, travel agency software can support an approval step before a business trip is confirmed. An employee can search for suitable travel, choose an option and send the request to the person responsible for approving company travel, instead of completing the booking immediately.

The approval rules can usually be based on details such as the traveller's department, the type of trip or the company's travel policy. The manager may be able to review the selected flight or hotel, see the expected cost and approve or reject the request. The exact controls available depend on the portal and the plan being used.

Approval does not always guarantee that the same option will still be available afterward. Flight seats, hotel rooms and fares can change while the request is waiting, because availability comes from the supplier. Some booking methods may also require immediate confirmation and cannot be held for approval. In that case, the employee may need to search again after approval or the company may need a different booking process.

Before setting this up, check who should approve each traveller, how long requests can wait and whether your connected suppliers allow a selected option to be held before confirmation.