What is a designated booker?
A designated booker is the person who books the trip when someone else is the one traveling. This cheat sheet covers how to think about the role and what to settle before booking. The detail is further down.
How to think about it
- One person books, another travels. The booker picks the traveler during booking, and the reservation is made in that person's name.
- Permissions set the scope. Which travelers a booker can see and book for depends on their role and department permissions.
- Common in crew programs. Crew travel programs often combine nightly lodging budgets, designated bookers, set groups of travelers and approval steps.
- The traveler may not book at all. Some travelers only need to see the trips booked for them, not search or book their own.
Before you book for someone
- Use the narrowest role. Give each booker only the permissions their job needs.
- Collect traveler details once. Legal name, date of birth, Known Traveler or Redress number, loyalty IDs and seat and room preferences.
- Confirm preferences early. For an executive, ask about seat type, room location, early check-in and meeting space needs before you search.
- Send one itinerary. Share the final itinerary in local time with addresses, check-in instructions and who to call for changes.
Booking roles on Engine
| Role | Books for coworkers | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | Yes | Manages company-wide membership, roles and permissions |
| Department Manager | Yes | Members in their assigned department, as permissions allow |
| Coordinator | Yes | Access based on their role and the settings an admin enables |
| Traveler | Manages their own travel | Their own trips |
| View Only Traveler | No | Sees trips booked for them, can't search, book or change travel |
How it works on Engine
On Engine, an authorized booker selects an Engine member as the primary traveler when booking for a coworker, and the confirmed stay shows in Trips. Admins add members, assign roles and departments, and can switch someone to View Only Traveler when another person should handle their travel, through traveler administration.
Questions
What does a designated booker do?
They search, book and manage travel for coworkers who don't book their own, typically as an executive assistant, office manager or travel coordinator.
Can a designated booker book for anyone in the company?
Only within their permissions. On Engine, admins, department managers and coordinators can access shared employees added as View Only Travelers, subject to their role and department permissions, and department managers are limited to their own department.
What is a View Only Traveler?
On Engine, a View Only Traveler has their own login and can see trips booked for them and contact Member Support, but can't search for, book or change travel.
Does a booker need the traveler's personal details?
For flights, yes. Airlines covered by TSA's Secure Flight rule must collect each passenger's full name, date of birth and sex.
Sources
- Engine, Booking Travel for Coworkers, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, Traveler Administration, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, Business Hotel Booking With Engine, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, LodgeLink vs Engine 2026, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, LodgeLink Limitations for Crew Travel (2026), accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, Amex GBT Limitations: What to Know Before You Sign (2026), accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, How to Book a Business Trip: A Practical, No-Fluff Guide, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 1560.101 Request for and transmission of information to TSA, accessed November 2, 2026.