Refundable vs. Non-Refundable Flights: What Should Your Travel Policy Cover?

Key points

• Assess the total financial impact of correcting the booking, including fare differences, cancellation fees, and penalty-free cancellation windows.
• Choose the best recovery option based on airline rules: cancel and rebook, change itinerary, retain credit, or keep the reservation.
• Establish a clear exception process for personal emergencies or uncertain travel dates.
• Create a playbook for booking mistakes, specifying contact points, approval authority, and documentation requirements.
• Prevent repeat errors through policy settings, approval workflows, and employee education.
• Use travel and expense data to identify patterns of repeated errors and improve policies.
• 67% of business travelers are hesitant to travel for business, with 28% citing likelihood of disruptions.
• Nearly half of business travelers admit to bending or breaking travel or expense policy.