EasyJet accused of misleading advertising

EasyJet, Great Britain’s most prominent low-cost carrier, has been accused of misleading passengers through a recent advertising campaign. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) criticized easyJet for its Easter promotional campaign, when the no-frills airline claimed that if was offering 25 percent discounts on nearly all tickets, including just about all routes. Yet ASA later found that the price of tickets increased during the final days of the promotional period. The sale period was meant to last from March 2nd to March 6th, but ticket prices increased at least one day before the end of the special. Although all tickets had to be booked and paid for in full within this timeframe, the actual departure could occur as late as June 30th.

EasyJet, however, offered its own explanation of the situation, noting that the carrier uses what is often referred to as a “dynamic” airfare structure. This essentially means that the online booking system automatically increases the price of tickets on certain routes, depending on the demand, as well as on the date of travel. The no-frills airline also observed that approximately 10 percent of all clients received the full 25 percent discount, but all customers received a reduction, even if it was less than the advertised maximum. ASA, however, was not convinced by this explanation, and maintained its original position, noting that the easyJet’s advertising was clearly misleading. ASA went further by banning easyJet from running this same ad again in the future, unless it planned to offer the 25 percent discount for the duration of the promotional period.

www.easyjet.com