Your rights per country

No-show clause in Belgium: can the airline cancel your return flight?

Mixedlow confidence

Test-Achats has been litigating against Air France and KLM over the clause since 2018. No final ruling by a highest court was found.

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.

What this means for you

What the court or regulator decided

Until such a ruling exists, the general European line applies: consumer groups consider the clause unfair, but there is no ban. Do not count on keeping your return if you miss the outbound.

Source: www.beuc.eu

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.

Other countries

• 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
• Portugal
  Mixedlow confidence

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