Passengers who miss first flight have return cancelled without notice

Passengers are being caught out by a clause in airline policy which sees their return flights cancelled if they miss their outbound journey. An investigation by Which? revealed many airlines

such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic cancel passengers return journey without notification if their first flight is missed. Despite the cancellation, passengers are not entitled to a

refund for either of their journeys. Many passengers have spoken of their shock at having their journeys cancelled, resulting in buying a second return ticket for a much higher cost. One

person told Which? she was forced to pay £1,354 for a ticket from London to New York after she missed her London flight out. Airlines state the practice is to prevent passengers buying

cheaper return fares and not using the return seats. However, low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet do not have this clause in their policy. In response to a Twitter user, easyJet

told a passenger: “If you have an outbound you can't take but still want to take the return flight then you'll be fine.” Wizz Air also confirmed on Twitter: “You can use your

return flight even if you miss the outbound and they are on the same booking. Flybe, in response to a passenger, confirmed they also cancel return flights if the first is missed. They wrote:

“If you were to miss your outbound flight without informing us your return would be automatically cancelled.” Flybe told Express.co.uk: "If a customer fails to notify us if they have

not shown up or flown the originating sector of a return booking, their return sector, that is in coupon sequence, will be cancelled.  "If however they do contact and inform us, we will

happily reinstate their original booking without further charge." Which? has contacted airlines stating the policy breaches section 62 the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. This is when a

clause causes "a significant imbalance in the parties' rights” and is in favour of the airline. Thomas Cook has already announced they will end the clause following the Which?

investigation. Many consumer groups across Europe including the Netherlands, Greece, Malta and Denmark are also taking action against the clause. Virgin Atlantic said in a statement: “We are

aware of the report and are in the process of investigating further. We never want to disappoint our customers and make our terms and conditions clear at the point of booking.” Some

travellers suggest there is a way to avoid the cancelled second flight. One Twitter user offered a piece of advice: “If you miss your flight you tell the check in staff to protect your

return flight by putting a note in the booking that you will be on the return flight. “You purchase a new outbound flight and the reference is entered into the original booking. It’s not a

problem.” Passengers who miss a flight connection, however, could be entitled to compensation, according to experts.