No-show (airlines)
A no-show is a condition when a person does not appear to their expected place.[1] In aviation, no-show is when a ticketed passenger doesn't show up for their flight.[2] Such passenger are also sometimes called a no-show.[3]
Airlines attempt to reduce losses caused by no-shows by employing tactics such as overbooking,[3] reconfirmation, and no-show penalty charges.[4] The U.S. government warns consumers to not be a no-show.[3]
Some airlines include a no-show clause in their Contract of carriage. It basically means that a user not showing up for the outbound flight will be considered a no-show, and all the connecting flights associated with this one, even a return flight, will be cancelled and no refund will apply.
This is an example of no-show clause in the terms of use of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS):
No-shows occur when the Travel Agent fails to cancel a booking that is not required by the customer which leads to inventory spoilage. If the reservation is not cancelled it may result in a No-show rebooking/refund restrictions may apply for no-show after ticketing. Un-ticketed segments which result in No-Show shall be liable to penalty fees.[5]
While it is not clear if carriers should refund users regarding navigation taxes (related to the airline operation and to the governments, which do not appear on a ticket), other expenses, like security, air passenger duty, and noise/environmental can all be refunded, as these all relate to the passenger's use of any particular airport to depart/arrive on any particular flight.[6]
This clause has raised much concern among users, and court rulings have converged to the conclusion that "carriers cannot force passengers to fly".[7]
Often no-shows are treated the same way regardless of reason. This means that a passenger who is delayed by a problem during the travel to airport will get the return flight cancelled even if wanting to rebook the outbound flight at the airport. A new ticket bought shortly before departure often needs to be business class due to airline policy.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "no-show | meaning of no-show in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE". www.ldoceonline.com. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
- ^ "IATA Passenger Glossary of Terms" (xlsx). IATA. 2018-07-15. Row 520: "No-Show". Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-08-03. (link can be found on the right bar under "Related Links" on IATA Passenger Standards Conference (PSC))
- ^ a b c "Schedules and Tickets". Fly Rights – A Consumer Guide to Air Travel. US Department of Transportation. 2019-10-04. Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
don't be a "no-show."
- ^ Frederick, John H (1955). "15. Airline passenger handling – Reconfirmation". Commercial air transportation (4 ed.). Homewood, Illinois, USA: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. p. 418. hdl:2027/mdp.39015023079653.
- ^ "Booking & Ticketing Policies of SWISS" (PDF). SWISS International Air Lines Ltd. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Airliners.net". Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Sentencias contra NO-SHOW" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 July 2014.