Ryanair rapped over Thomas Cook ads
A Ryanair advertising campaign that implied rival Thomas Cook was likely to go bust has been condemned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
Ryanair has been ordered not to repeat the adverts, which carried the headline "Bye Bye Thomas Cook". Each of the ads, which ran in UK newspapers in November, claimed the tour operator was in "dire straits" and included exerts from newspaper articles commenting on its financial difficulties.
The advertising watchdog received 15 complaints about the adverts, with some arguing that they suggested Thomas Cook would have ceased trading by December 25.
While the ASA conceded that the adverts were unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence, fear or distress, it ruled they were misleading and denigratory.
"We considered that the header Bye Bye Thomas Cook pictured alongside the newspaper headlines would lead consumers to believe that Thomas Cook was likely to go into administration and that it was risky to book with them," it said.
Ryanair had argued the adverts "reflected public commentary" and it insisted it had not planned to mock Thomas Cook, but the ASA ruled the advertising campaign could not run again in the same form.
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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