Is It Better To No Show Or Cancel A Flight? (2024)

Where from?

Where to?

Is it better to No Show or cancel a flight?

When travel plans don't quite happen as expected it can be tempting to just let flight tickets expire. The methods of cancellation can be complicated, time consuming and don't always result in a refund. But is this the right thing to do? Are there ways to navigate the cancellation process easier and see a return? In this article, we'll outline the important things to know about No Showing vs Cancellation to help you make an informed decision.

What is a No Show?

A No Show is the name given to a passenger who does not attend their flight, nor cancel it. Passengers may choose to No Show when their travel plans are interrupted and they find the cancellation process too laborious. This type of conduct is especially common for passengers with non refundable tickets, as they aren't gaining anything through cancelling the flight other than informing the airline of their absence.

Airlines will always anticipate a certain number of No Shows, as they understand travel plans are prone to changing. But they don't appreciate when passengers make a pattern out of this behaviour.

Are there penalties for No Showing?

Airlines have a serious code of conduct when it comes to flight attendance. This means strict deadlines to get to your gate on time and a clear cut policy on No Shows. Each airline has their own policy on this, detailed by their Contract of Carriage which is distributed to passengers at the point of purchase. If a passenger no shows to a connecting flight, all of their subsequent flights on the same itinerary will be cancelled, and they may be ineligible to rebook their flights if there is no availability. Other than that there is largely no penalty for no showing on a single flight. To find out more, check out our article on No Show Policies.

However, if a passenger becomes problematic and continues to miss flights repeatedly with the same airline they may begin to apply penalty charges. This is to prevent skiplagging, a practice where a passenger will book a ticket with no intention of taking the secondary flights of a voyage in order to secure a cheaper ticket.

Is It Better To Cancel Than To No Show?

Ideally, you wouldn't have to cancel your flight at all. No Showing is a very easy way to cancel your flight, it requires no input from the passenger at all, but it also voids any protections you might have had. Some airlines offer partial refunds or other compensation if you cancel your flight rather than letting it sit as a No Show. Some even offer comprehensive protection packages, such as our Cancellation Protection and Cancel For Any Reason Coverage.

If you have some kind of protection package such as the above you will definitely want to cancel your flight rather than pulling a No Show. If you cancel your flight with our Cancel For Any Reason Coverage then you are entitled to 70% of your baskets total value, no questions asked. This makes it the ideal course of action when you need to cancel your flight.

What should I do if I'm late for my flight?

If you're late for your flight and you don't think you'll make it, that doesn't mean you're pulling a No Show. The first thing you should always do is call the airlines and tell them your situation. In some cases the airline can make plans for your flight to be transferred to the next available one. If a transfer is not available then you may be entitled to a partial refund based on your airlines policy. For more information check out our article on what to do if you miss your flight.

If you booked a flight with Alternative Airlines you can add on Cancellation Protection, which protects you if you are unable to make your flight due to personal emergency. This includes stuff like injury, issues getting to the airport (public transport closure/car troubles) or court summons.

Trusted globally

Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

We’re super proud of our Trustpilot rating, but don’t just take it from us. See why millions of others love booking their flights through Alternative Airlines

Flight No Show FAQs

Can you skip legs of your flight?

Even though airlines despise it, there is nothing strictly against the law about skipping legs of your flight if you want to. This behaviour (known as skiplagging) is considered poor conduct by airlines, and if done repeatedly it could lead to in a breach of the airlines T&Cs, resulting in fines or other punitive action.

What if you want to change your flight rather than cancel it?

If you would prefer to alter the details of your flight rather than change it, you will first want to check that you are within the threshold where you are allowed to do so. If you are within the window, most airlines will allow you to edit the details of your flight through their booking portal, or through contact with their customer service team. If you want more details on the process of rebooking your flight, check out our article on how to rebook a flight.

Is it possible to get a refund on a ticket where you no showed?

In short: No, most airlines will stipulate in their Contract of Carriage that if you No Show on the date of your departure, your ticket becomes non refundable. This is to prevent skiplagging and protect the airline from people abusing last minute cancellations.

How do you know if cancelling your flight will result in a refund?

There are a few ways to find out whether your ticket qualifies for a refund upon cancellation. Firstly, if the airline cancels your flight, you will always be entitled to a refund, or transference onto the next available flight. If you want to cancel your flight and get a refund, then you should check your airlines cancellation policy in their Contract of Carriage. There it will outline when you can cancel, what you can expect to receive in return and all the associated terms and conditions.