# What is a ticketing time limit (TTL)?

Source: https://kurumsal.pro/en/glossary/ticketing-time-limit/ — Last updated: 2026-11-04

A ticketing time limit is the last time a booking can be held without payment or ticket issue. When it passes, the booking usually drops by itself. In corporate travel, the approval process has to finish within this window.

## In short
- The ticketing time limit is the last moment a booking can be held without payment or ticketing.
- For airlines the limit comes from fare rules, the time left before departure and load; it can differ even on the same flight.
- A booking that passes its limit usually drops by itself, and the same price may not be found again.
- In corporate travel, if the approval time is longer than the limit, the option may be gone when approval arrives.
- In the Kurumsal.pro portal an approval request has an expiry; level times and the one-click approval link in the email are limited by it.

**Ticketing time limit:** A ticketing time limit (TTL, also called option or hold time) is the last moment a flight or hotel booking can be held without payment or ticket issue; when it expires the booking is usually cancelled automatically.

A ticketing time limit (TTL) is the last moment a booking can be held without payment or ticket issue. It is also called the option or hold time. When the time passes, the airline or supplier usually cancels the booking by itself; the same flight can be searched again, but there is no guarantee that the same price will be found.

## How is the ticketing time limit determined?

The supplier sets the ticketing time limit; the agency or the company does not choose it. For flights, fare rules, the time left before departure and how full the aircraft is are decisive. With days left before the flight the limit may be longer, and with hours left it may be very short. Some fares have no hold at all and the booking must be ticketed immediately.

Hotels follow a similar logic: some properties allow a deadline for payment or firm confirmation. But hotel options mostly depend on contracts and season and do not work as automatically as airline holds.

## Why does the ticketing time limit matter in corporate travel?

In corporate travel, a manager's approval is often needed before purchase. If the approval takes longer than the time limit, the booking has dropped or the price has changed by the time approval arrives. That is why the approval time is planned together with the ticketing time limit.

Three practical consequences follow:

- **Short-hold requests need fast approval.** Level times must not run past the end of the hold.
- **Expect price changes.** The fare may rise during approval; how much of an increase is acceptable is decided in advance.
- **If the time runs out, start again.** The traveler makes a new selection and the request goes to approval again.

## Ticketing time limit, approval time and fare validity compared

These three periods are often confused. The ticketing time limit is how long the supplier holds the booking. The approval time is what the company gives its own approval level. Fare validity is how long the price shown on screen stays the same, and it does not have to equal the ticketing time limit.

| Period | Who sets it? | What happens when it ends? |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketing time limit | The airline or supplier | The booking drops |
| Approval (level) time | The company's approval workflow | [Escalation](/en/glossary/approval-escalation/) or rejection |
| Fare validity | The supplier's pricing system | The price is fetched again |

## Example: a flight request with a short hold

A traveler picks an evening flight for a meeting the next morning, and because the choice is out of policy, it goes to approval. With only a few hours left before the flight, the time the supplier allows is also short. If the first level's time is one business day, waiting for all of it makes no sense: by the time the approver decides the next day, the flight has left.

The right setup is to limit the level time to the expiry of the request and for the approver to treat this request as a priority. If the approver cannot decide quickly, the [escalation](/en/glossary/approval-escalation/) rule in the workflow or a delegate assigned in advance takes over. If time still runs out, the request closes and the traveler applies again with current options. The example shows that approval times for last-minute trips need to be considered apart from standard requests.

## Ticketing time limit in Kurumsal.pro

In the Kurumsal.pro portal that your agency offers its corporate clients, every request sent for approval carries an expiry. This expiry is the validity of the cart sent for approval. When a request is sent for approval the portal does not open a pre-booking with the supplier, so seats and prices are not held at the supplier while approval is pending.

- If a level's time is longer than this expiry, the approval time is limited to the expiry.
- A request whose expiry has passed moves to "expired" and appears so on the request status screen.
- The one-click approve or reject link in the email is valid until the expiry, or for 72 hours if there is no expiry.
- "Option about to expire" is among the notifications the portal publishes.
- At final approval the price is fetched again. If the difference is within the workflow's [price tolerance](/en/glossary/price-tolerance/) the purchase continues; if outside, the request returns for approval.

For level times and other approval settings see [travel approval workflow](/en/travel-approval-workflow/), and for the details of flight search see [corporate flight booking](/en/corporate-flight-booking/).

## Frequently asked questions
### What is a ticketing time limit?
It is the period for which a booking stays valid without payment or ticket issue. At the end of this period the airline or hotel usually cancels the booking automatically if no payment arrives.

### What determines the ticketing time limit?
For flights it is set by the airline's fare rules, the number of days left before the flight and load. It gets shorter as the flight approaches, and some fares give no hold at all, so the booking has to be ticketed immediately.

### Can a ticketing time limit be extended?
It depends entirely on the supplier's rules. In some cases an agency can ask for an extension, but on most fares the period is fixed. If it has passed, a new booking is needed and the price may have changed.

### Is the ticket price held while approval is pending?
In the Kurumsal.pro portal, no. Sending a request for approval does not open a pre-booking with the supplier, and the price is fetched again at final approval. For flights there is no adjustable tolerance, so if the fare has gone up the request returns for approval at the new price; for hotels, transfers, cars and tours, villas, yachts and activities the price tolerance set in the workflow applies.

### What happens to the approval request if the limit passes?
In the Kurumsal.pro portal an approval request whose expiry has passed moves to "expired". The traveler makes a new selection and sends the request again if needed.