Flight credits from canceled bookings are held by the airline and tied to the traveler. They usually do not appear as assets in your company’s financial records. The original flight purchase remains expensed, and when a credit is later used, only any additional amount charged appears as a new transaction.

Airlines categorize seat upgrades, baggage fees, and other add-ons as ancillary services, which are charges separate from the base ticket price. These add-ons usually post as separate transactions on card statements and may appear days after the original ticket purchase.

Airline authorizations remain pending because flight purchases go through multiple verification and settlement steps before funds are captured. While most pending charges clear within 9 days, airline and travel-related authorizations can remain pending for up to 30 days due to fraud screening, ticket issuance checks, and delayed settlement cycles.

Airlines split charges to separate base airfare from ancillary fees, meet tax and settlement requirements, and process add-ons purchased at different times. As a result, a single trip can appear as multiple transactions on a card statement, often posting separately.