UK: Airlines must refund return fare when passengers miss outbound flight, court rules

Air passengers may now be entitled to refunds from airlines who cancel the return legs of flights after the first leg has gone unused. In a case that could affect anyone who has had a similar flight cancelled in the last 6 years, a judge has ordered that Iberia must refund a passenger the cost of his return journey after it prevented him from using it. Though this, a decision by a deputy district judge at the Mayor's and City of London Court, is not binding and Iberia is expected to appeal, it is thought to be one of the first cases to tackle the loss to a passenger of the cost of a return leg of a flight that has been cancelled by the airline in this way. Airlines prefer to cancel return flights when the initial leg goes unused is to avoid passengers buying returns that are cheaper than single flight tickets. <br/>