ASA takes action against two airlines
Two airlines have been forced to change their advertising by the Advertising Standards Agency.
Air Malta and Flybe have both been reprimanded by the advertising watchdog for recent promotional campaigns.
Air Malta was advertising £99 return flights to Malta on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
Its adverts have been banned after the ASA found there was no evidence to show there was a “reasonable prospect of obtaining seats at the advertised price†at any of the airports mentioned.
Furthermore, it pointed out that flights from Birmingham to Malta do not operate on Fridays and Mondays.
Air Malta has been ordered to withdraw the advert and to amend all future campaigns accordingly.
Meanwhile, Flybe is in trouble over a promotional email offering bonus flights through its Flybe Card.
The ASA said the advert did not make clear the amount of taxes and charges that still needed to be paid for the bonus flights.
It ruled that the advert can only run in the future if taxes and charges are mentioned in the body copy, not just in small print.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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