What are trip approvals in Melon?
If your company has a travel approval policy, certain bookings will automatically be sent for approval once a trip is completed. Both the traveler and the approver will be notified at that point.
As an approver, you are responsible for reviewing and taking action on bookings made by any travelers assigned to you.
Finding trips pending approval in Melon
You can action approval requests in two ways:
Via the approval email sent to you when a booking is made
Via the Trip Approvals tab in Melon or the Melon Mobile app
The Trip Approvals tab is located in the top right corner of your Melon homepage. Here you will also find the following tabs:
Pending tab: Displays all trips currently awaiting your action
Completed tab: Displays all previously actioned approvals
Reviewing a trip before approving
When you open a pending trip, you will see an overview that includes:
The recommended spend for the selected route and dates
Any justifications or additional details provided by the traveler
Notes on whether the booking is out of policy
Clicking the itinerary link will take you directly to the booking. Here you will also be able to see any lower-priced alternatives, particularly if the selected option exceeds the recommended spend. This gives you the full context needed to make an informed decision.
How to approve or decline a trip
Once you have reviewed the trip details, select the relevant button to Approve or Decline the booking.
If approved, the booking will be issued and the traveler will be notified with a confirmation.
If declined, the booking will be canceled and all parties will be notified.
Declining an approval request
If you choose to decline a request, you will have the option to add a reason. This helps the traveler and/or trip arranger understand the rationale behind the decision.
Important: Check before you decline. We recommend checking in with the traveler or trip arranger before declining a request. The fare or rate selected may be the last available for that flight or hotel. If the request is declined, the booking is cancelled and rebooking at the same rate may no longer be possible.
Acting on approvals via email
When a traveler completes a booking, you will receive an approval notification email. The email includes:
Trip overview and approval reason: Details of the traveler, their trip, and why approval is required. Reasons will vary based on your company travel policy.
Approval deadline: The date and time by which the approval must be actioned.
Itinerary: Full trip details including cost, flight times, airline, and cabin class.
Data capture: Any details the traveler completed at checkout, including their reason for selecting an out-of-policy option.
Alternative options: When a traveler selects a fare or rate that exceeds the recommended spend, Melon will automatically display the top 5 most cost-effective alternatives that were available at the time of booking.
To action the request, you can either approve in one click by choosing Approve this trip or review the request by clicking Review trip. When clicking review trip you will see:
On desktop: You will be taken directly to the Trip Approvals tab in your Melon platform.
On mobile: You will be directed to the Trip Approvals tab in Melon Mobile.
Multiple approvers
A traveler can have more than one approver assigned to them. When a booking is made, the approval notification and email will be sent to all assigned approvers. However, only one approver needs to action the request for the booking to be issued or cancelled. If a booking has already been actioned when you go to review it, you can see who approved it within the trip itinerary.
Using Trip Approvals in Melon Mobile
The Trip Approvals tab is located in the top right corner of your Melon Mobile homepage. A notification bubble will display the number of trips currently requiring your attention.
Follow these steps to action an approval in Melon Mobile:
Tap the Trip Approvals tab to view the full approvals list.
Open the Awaiting tab to see all trips pending approval.
Select the relevant trip to view the full journey details.
Review the trip details, including cost, then select Approve or Decline.
Tap Submit to confirm your decision. The booking will be issued or cancelled accordingly.
