Airlines typically require that both legs of the journey be cancelled together in order to receive a refund or credit for future travel. However, if your plans have changed and you no longer need to take the return portion of your flight, some airlines may allow you to change it for a fee.

Getting a refund on the unused portion of a return (round-trip) ticket is notoriously difficult and depends heavily on the fare rules of your specific ticket. Airlines generally do not calculate a refund by simply dividing the total price in half; instead, they re-calculate the trip as a one-way fare. Since one-way tickets are often more expensive than half of a round-trip, the remaining value is frequently zero or even a negative amount once a "cancellation fee" (which can range from $100 to $500) is applied. If you have a fully flexible or "refundable" ticket, you may get some money back, but for standard "Economy" or "Basic" fares, the unused half is usually forfeited. It is often better to check if you can change the date of the return leg for a future credit rather than seeking a direct cash refund.