Round Trip Ticket – Missed the First Flight, Can You Stil Use the Return Ticket?

For those who booked round trip tickets but unfortunately missed the outbound flight or the departure flight, can you still use the return ticket or will the airline automatically cancel your whole booking due to “No Show”?

This was the question presented to us in Travel Bug Travel and Tours by one of our clients. Client booked a round-trip Cebu Pacific promo ticket from Manila to Naga to Manila kaso hindi niya nasakyan ang flight na papuntang Naga as there was a work emergency. In short, naging “No Show” sya sa initial flight, Manila to Naga. So, she was unsure if she could still use the return ticket Naga to Manila.

We told her that as of 2026, yes, she can because Cebu Pacific treat the flights, even though it was booked as round-trip, as individual flights. So, you may miss flying the initial or departure or outbound flight, you can still go on and use the return flight, even if you will not inform the airline about being a “No Show” on the flight going to destination. There will not be a problem with the return ticket for both domestic and international flights.

Note: We will try to keep this post updated as you know, sometimes rules change. But if you are also on Cebu Pacific round-trip and face a similar circumstance, We recommend to contact the airline so you can hear the latest ruling directly from them.

Can you do the same with Philippine Airlines? NO.

Unfortunately, PAL’s “No Show” rules on confirmed round trip flight is different. If you did not fly the outbound / departure / initial flight, your return flight is automatically cancelled. But what you can do if you find yourself in a position wherein there is no way you can make it to your initial flight is to contact PAL customer service days before the first flight schedule and request them to break or separate your round-trip booking into one-ways, so your return ticket is still valid and usable. Now, whether your request will be approved or not will depend on the type of ticket you have and assessment of the csr. Just try to plead your case and hope for the best.

How about Air Asia? We can’t say for certain, but we’ve had a client who was able to use the return ticket even if he was a ‘no show’ on the first flight. But we also heard of someone, not our client, that she was denied checking-in for the return flight because she missed the first flight. Her entire round-trip booking was “gone” in the system. For your peace of mind, we suggest that you reach out to Air Asia hotline to ask them if you can still use your return ticket even if you miss your original flight, ask them if the return ticket is still valid.

Flight Sequence Rule

Most airlines, especially full-service carriers like PAL, Korean Air, and Emirates, follow a “flight sequence” rule. If you don’t show up for the first leg of your journey, the system automatically marks you as a “no-show” and cancels all subsequent flights in that booking—including your return trip.

There are airlines who may entertain request to still use the return flight if you call them within a specified time. Your airline can tell you more about their rules and if you need to pay any additional fees, so contact them as soon as possible.

If you already know you can’t make it, call the airline company immediately. It is much easier to modify a booking before the flight takes off than to try and “un-cancel” a return ticket after you’ve been marked as a no-show.

Here are some airlines with their toll-free numbers and hotline:

Hope this helps! Happy travels!

If you need help booking tickets or want to avail of travel insurance, we would be very happy to help you. We are on Facebook Travel Bug Travel and Tours. Daghang Salamat!