Australian firms adopt AI travel checks as bookings rise

Australian companies are adopting AI-based pre-travel approval tools for business travel spending, a shift SAP Concur linked to the rebound in corporate travel.

The change reflects a broader move in how finance teams oversee travel costs before bookings are made, rather than after expense claims are filed. Finance leaders and internal audit teams want stronger controls, clearer visibility of upcoming spend, and better records of who approved trips and under what conditions.

Flight bookings in Australia rose by almost 10% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to SAP Concur. March 2025 showed the strongest growth, with corporate bookings up more than 44% from March 2024.

The increase in travel activity has renewed focus on approval workflows, especially as organisations tighten oversight of discretionary spending. Rather than relying on post-trip expense reviews, the approach described by SAP Concur shifts scrutiny to the point when a trip is requested.

Earlier checks

Pre-travel authorisation systems typically require employees to submit trip requests with a business rationale, estimated costs, and any expected policy exceptions. AI tools can then help pre-fill estimated costs using historic spending data, flag items outside policy, and route requests to different approvers based on factors such as risk, spending limits, and employee profiles.

The result is a more structured process for both finance teams and travellers. It also creates records before money is spent, rather than relying on free-text justifications submitted after a trip has taken place.

Jonathan Beeby, Managing Director of SAP Concur Australia and New Zealand, said the shift was changing the role of travel and expense management inside finance functions.

"Travel and expense management is no longer about post-audits but preventative control. In traditional travel and expense programs, compliance was largely reactive: employees book trips, later file expenses, and finance teams audit them against policy afterwards. That approach can identify where policy was breached, but it offers little early prevention, cost visibility, or management.

"In Australia, that shift toward proactive governance is gaining momentum. Business travel surged over the past year as organisations resumed commercial travel and business events post-pandemic. Pressure to control discretionary spend is increasing as finance leaders seek earlier visibility and internal audit teams push for stronger evidence of upfront approval. Modern travellers also expect digital workflows that are intuitive and fast. These combined pressures are driving enterprise adoption of intelligent pre-travel authorisation, where AI and automation inform decisions before bookings are confirmed," Beeby said.

Audit trail

A key issue for finance and audit teams is the quality of the underlying data. Structured approval requests can capture the purpose of travel, expected costs, policy exceptions, and managerial approval in a consistent format, giving companies a clearer audit trail.

Systems including SAP Concur's Concur Request product record approvals, edits, and exceptions over time and can raise flags for review. That gives finance teams visibility of spending commitments before they appear in the general ledger.

Beeby said AI can improve those workflows by adding more context at the start of the process.

"Intelligent automation interprets context and provides richer guidance at the point of request rather than relying solely on rigid, static business rules. This helps organisations scale governance controls without multiplying manual checks, giving finance teams early insight and travellers clearer guidance toward compliant choices.

"One of the most compelling benefits of AI-driven travel requests is the quality of data created. Rather than free-text explanations submitted after travel, structured requests capture why the business travel is necessary, anticipated costs, and which manager approved the itinerary and under what conditions. This produces a defensible, machine-readable audit trail that shows approvals, edits, and exceptions over time; a powerful asset as Australian organisations face greater oversight from boards and internal audit functions," Beeby said.

Forecasting view

Pre-trip approval data also gives finance teams an earlier view of future expenditure. Instead of relying on lagging data from completed expense claims, approved requests can indicate what travel spending is likely to come through in the weeks or months ahead.

That is particularly relevant in Australia, where geography can make business travel more expensive and volatile depending on route, timing, and accommodation market conditions. Earlier visibility can help finance teams revise forecasts, manage budgets, and spot trends without relying on spreadsheet-based reconciliation across multiple systems.

One common objection to pre-travel approval is the risk of slowing routine travel. SAP Concur argues that automation can reduce that friction by limiting repetitive data entry and routing low-risk requests quickly, while pushing more unusual or expensive trips to a higher level of review.

Beeby said that balance between control and speed would be important for employee acceptance.

"The common concern around pre-travel authorisation is the risk of creating process friction that delays routine travel. Smart AI workflows are central to addressing this. They can reduce repetitive data entry and minimise back-and-forth between travellers and approvers, so that low-risk or recurring trips can move quickly through the system, while higher-risk requests trigger additional scrutiny.

"This typically means fewer rejected expense claims for employees, fewer surprises after trips have been taken, and a smoother overall experience; a valuable differentiator in Australia's increasingly competitive talent market," Beeby said.