Jet2 advert banned after watchdogs rule it misled passengers
Jet2.com has fallen foul of advertising watchdogs after broadcasting a radio advert which misled customers into believing that a 22kg luggage allowance was included in the airfare.
In fact, extra charges applied for passengers who wanted to check in bags.
The ad, which was aired between February and March this year, included a voice-over which said: "With Jet2.com you can choose from 58 amazing destinations including daily flights to Alicante, Faro, Ibiza, Malaga and Majorca. You can fly from as little as £42 – plus, enjoy a huge 22 kg baggage allowance."
Jet2.com told the Advertising Standards Authority it did not believe the ad was misleading because passengers could have a 22 kg allowance in one bag. The ad did not state that baggage was included in the cost of the flight, it said, unlike its radio ads for sister company Jet2holidays, which stated that 22 kg baggage was ‘included’.
It said it had highlighted its baggage allowance because it differed from the allowance generally offered by its competitors.
Jet2.com said that the ad also stated that ‘charges may apply’, which made it clear that not everything was included in the price of the flight.
However, the ASA considered that consumers would interpret the claim ‘You can fly from as little as £42 – plus, enjoy a huge 22 kg baggage allowance’ to mean that a 22 kg baggage allowance would be included with all Jet2.com flights, as well as in the ‘from £42’ price quoted.
"We acknowledged that the voice-over stated, ‘charges may apply’ towards the end of the ad. However, the qualification did not state what those charges referred to, and we considered that it was not sufficiently clear that the 22 kg allowance was not included with their flights, and in the flight price quoted. We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading," it said.
Jet2 has been barred from repeating the ad in its current form and told to ensure that future ads don’t imply that luggage is included in the ticket price if it isn’t.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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