Ryanair in trouble again….
Ryanair has been banned from repeating an advert which misled passengers because it didn’t make it clear that they would incur an extra fee for payment by debit or credit card.
Advertising watchdogs said the advert for flights to Malmo which appeared in national newspapers in February breached the advertising code.
Upholding a complaint from a consumer, the Advertising Standards Authority said the lead-in fare of £14.99 one-way was misleading because it was only available to Mastercard Prepaid customers or Ryanair’s Cash Passport card holders.
Other customers faced an additional charge for payment by credit or debit card. Ryanair claimed this was made clear in the footnote to the advert, but the ASA said the note stated the fare excluded only "optional" fees and charges.
In its ruling, the ASA said: "We noted that consumers who were not in possession of the Cash Passport, at the point of purchase, could not immediately purchase tickets for the advertised price; rather they needed to apply for the card and await delivery. We were therefore concerned that that delay may result in consumers being unable to obtain the advertised price.
"We also understood that in order to use the Cash Passport, consumers were required to load the card with a minimum of £150 and that additional charges applied to its use. We considered such details to be material information which the consumer needed in order to make an informed decision about the advertised price."
Ryanair was ordered not to repeat the advert in its current form.
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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