Ryanair TV ad was misleading, rules watchdog
Ryanair misled the public with a TV advertising campaign last year when it gave the impression that summer fares were included in a sale which actually only included departures up to March.
The TV ad in October advertised flights from £19.99 and while the small print on the screen stated that these fares were only valid for travel up to March 25, larger text stated "Summer 2017 on sale now".
A complainant said they had understood that the £19.99 offer applied to summer 2017 and challenged whether the ad was misleading.
In its defence, Ryanair said it believed the ad made a clear distinction between the two messages but the Advertising Standards Authority said the wording was ambigious and could be interpreted as meaning that the summer flights were ‘on sale’.
It upheld the complaint and ordered Ryanair not to repeat the ad again in its current form.
The ASA also upheld a complaint against an online lastminute.com advert, which advertised a package to New York for £569 but when a customer tried to book, they were told the price had increased by £70.
Lastninute.com argued its products were dynamic and subject to change at any time, including during the booking process, but the ASA said that as the package was not available at the advertised price lastminute.com had beached advertising codes of conduct.
It told lastminute.com not to repeat the ad 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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