Monarch misled customers, says watchdog
Monarch Airlines has been accused of tricking passengers into rushing to book discounted flights that had actually not been reduced in price.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered the carrier not to repeat an e-promotion, which it claimed was misleading.
A customer complained to the advertising watchdog after receiving an email on June 8 from Monarch advertising £30 discounts on all summer 2011 flights, which it said would only be available for 24 hours. He booked a flight but the following week he received a second email, also advertising flights with a £30 discount.
He also queried that the discounts were genuine as the fares were the same before, during and after the promotion.
The ASA ruled that the ads "implied an undue sense of urgency" and were therefore misleading. As Monarch had failed to demonstrate that the fares had been discounted, the ASA upheld the second complaint.
Monarch has been ordered not to repeat the ads in their current form.
Hotel booking website Booking.com has also been rapped by the ASA for advertising rooms in Solihull at a rate which was not widely available to visitors to its site. The ASA said that as the 'from' price of £12.95 was only available on one date next summer, Booking.com's banner ad breached advertising rules.
By Linsey McNeill
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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