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

Clause struck downhigh confidence

Spain's Supreme Court struck down Iberia's no-show clause in 2018. Missing your outbound flight in Spain may not automatically cost you your return.

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

In this country a court has declared the no-show clause unfair or void; in principle your return may not be cancelled automatically if you miss the outbound. Note that a voided clause does not mean an airline will always let you board in practice: enforcement varies and you carry the risk of disputes, delay or extra costs yourself. This is not legal advice.

What the court or regulator decided

In November 2018, in a class action brought by consumer group OCU, the Tribunal Supremo ruled that a clause cancelling the rest of your itinerary once you skip one segment is unfair. The reasoning: your absence costs the airline nothing extra, so the clause creates an imbalance against the traveller. Iberia must keep the itinerary open. In practice boarding is still occasionally refused at the gate; enforcement remains a concern.

Source: www.poderjudicial.es

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.

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Other countries

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