📚 How to Accelerate Flight Approval in Ramp

docs/general/how-to-accelerate-flight-approval-in-ramp.md

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+# How to Accelerate Flight Approval in Ramp
+
+## Overview
+
+This guide explains the current known process and limitations for accelerating flight approvals in Ramp, based on available internal discussion. It also highlights that TravelPerk may be the preferred or required tool for booking and approving flights instead of Ramp.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Access to your company’s travel and expense tools (Ramp and/or TravelPerk).
+- Knowledge of your organization’s current travel policy and which platform is officially supported for flight bookings.
+- Permissions to book travel (you may need manager or finance approval depending on policy).
+
+## Current Guidance
+
+At this time, there is no documented method to “accelerate” flight approval directly within Ramp. The only concrete information available from the referenced discussion is:
+
+- The last time Ramp was used for flights, the user was instructed to use TravelPerk instead.
+
+This suggests that:
+
+1. **TravelPerk may be the primary or required platform for booking flights** at your organization.
+2. **Ramp may no longer be the preferred tool for flight bookings or approvals**, or may be used only for payment/expense tracking rather than travel management.
+
+Because of this, the recommended course of action is:
+
+1. **Confirm the approved travel platform**  
+   - Check your internal travel policy documentation (e.g., company handbook, finance or operations wiki).
+   - If unclear, contact:
+     - Your manager, and/or  
+     - The Finance, Operations, or People team.
+
+2. **If TravelPerk is the approved tool**  
+   - Log in to TravelPerk using your corporate account.
+   - Book your flight through TravelPerk following your company’s standard process.
+   - Use any built-in approval workflows in TravelPerk (for example, manager approval requests) instead of relying on Ramp for flight approval.
+
+3. **If Ramp is still approved for flights**  
+   - Follow your existing internal Ramp travel process (if documented elsewhere).
+   - If you need to “accelerate” approval, reach out directly to the approver (e.g., your manager or finance approver) via Slack or email and ask them to review the pending request in Ramp.
+
+## Important Notes and Caveats
+
+- **Policy may have changed**: The only explicit guidance from the Slack thread is that a user was told to use TravelPerk instead of Ramp. This may reflect a policy change that is not yet fully documented.
+- **No explicit Ramp steps provided**: There are no specific instructions, URLs, or interface steps for accelerating approvals in Ramp in the available information.
+- **Approval speed is usually policy-driven**: Even if Ramp supports travel approvals, the speed of approval typically depends on:
+  - Who the approver is (manager, budget owner, finance).
+  - Your organization’s approval rules and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
+
+## Troubleshooting and Next Steps
+
+If you are trying to accelerate a flight approval and are unsure how to proceed:
+
+1. **Verify the correct platform**
+   - Ask in your company’s #finance, #operations, or #travel Slack channel:
+     - “Is TravelPerk now the required tool for booking flights, or should I still use Ramp?”
+   - Check any pinned messages or internal documentation in those channels.
+
+2. **Contact the approver directly**
+   - If you have already submitted a request (in Ramp or TravelPerk), message your approver:
+     - Provide the request ID or a link to the request.
+     - Explain the urgency and requested travel dates.
+
+3. **Escalate through the appropriate team**
+   - If approval is time-sensitive (e.g., fare is increasing, travel is imminent), contact:
+     - Your manager, and
+     - The Finance or Operations team
+   - Ask whether there is an expedited approval process for urgent travel.
+
+4. **Clarify missing information**
+   - The following details are not available from the Slack exchange and should be confirmed internally:
+     - Whether Ramp is still supported for flight bookings.
+     - Whether there is any “fast-track” or emergency approval process.
+     - Who the default approvers are for travel requests.
+     - Any specific URLs or internal tools (e.g., a travel portal) that must be used.
+
+Once this information is clarified by your internal teams, this guide should be updated with:
+
+- The officially supported travel platform (Ramp vs. TravelPerk).
+- Step-by-step instructions for submitting and accelerating flight approvals in that platform.
+- Any special procedures for urgent or last-minute travel.
+
+---
+*Source: [Original Slack thread](https://distylai.slack.com/archives/impl-tower-onsite/p1757366815909819)*