Your rights per country

Can the airline cancel your return flight if you miss the outbound?

Almost every airline has a no-show clause: skip the outbound flight and the return is cancelled. Whether that clause holds up depends on the country where you bought the ticket. The state of the case law, country by country.

A no-show clause sits in the conditions of carriage of nearly every airline. If you do not use a segment of your ticket, usually the outbound, the airline may cancel or reprice the rest. Whether that clause holds up is decided by the courts of the country where you bought the ticket.

• Spain
  Clause struck downhigh confidence
• Germany
  Clause struck downhigh confidence
• France
  Clause upheldhigh confidence
• Italy
  Return protectedmedium confidence
• Austria
  Clause struck downmedium confidence
• the Netherlands
  Mixedmedium confidence
• Belgium
  Mixedlow confidence
• Portugal
  Mixedlow confidence

The European picture (June 2026)

As of June 2026 there is no EU-wide ban on the no-show clause. The European Parliament wants the revision of Regulation 261/2004 to state that a return flight may not be cancelled merely because the outbound was missed, but that revision has not been adopted and would apply from 2027 at the earliest. Until then, the country of purchase decides.

Sources reviewed in June 2026. Not legal advice: always check your airline's conditions of carriage and seek advice if in doubt.