ASA Adjudication on Qantas Airways Ltd

Ad

A TV ad and a poster for Qantas Airways:

a. A voice-over, in the TV ad, stated "Qantas, the Australian airline is also the world's most experienced airline having flown continuously for over 87 years. That's longer than any other airline and it shows in our customer service and operational excellence. Qantas, the world's most experienced airline". The ad showed a business class seat reclined into a flat position. On-screen text stated "Skybed available in Business on direct services from UK".

b. The poster stated "The world's most experienced airline".

Issue

1. Several viewers challenged whether the claim "that's longer than any other airline" in ad (a) was misleading because they believed other airlines were founded before Qantas.

2. One viewer challenged whether the claim "the worlds most experienced airline" in ad (a) was misleading because he believed experience should be measured in 'flight hours'.

3. One complainant challenged whether the same claim in ad (b) was misleading.

4. One viewer also challenged whether the depiction of the Skybed in ad (a) was misleading, because he believed they reclined at an angle and the flat version was available only on their new planes which were not in operation when the ad appeared.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

BCAP TV Code

Response

1. Qantas said they had extensively researched their claim to be the "world's most experienced airline".  They said they were the only airline to have operated continuously for 87 years, having been founded in November 1920.  They said although KLM was founded in 1919, Qantas had flown for longer because KLM had a break in operations during the winter of 1919 to 1920.  KLM had also ceased flying for four months from May to August 1940 and then operated only one route, from London to Lisbon, for 16 months from 1940 to 1942; this route was extended to Gibraltar for another 29 months until 1945.  They stated that that information was supported by an independent historian and provided a letter to Qantas from the Senior Editor of Air Transport World.  The letter cited the historian R E G Davies' 1964 book 'A History of the World Airlines' and stated that KLM ceased operations on 10 May 1940 but resumed one route in August 1940.

Qantas also said AVIANCA was founded as SCADTA in 1919 but a series of mergers and buyouts meant AVIANCA had flown continuously only since 1940.  They provided extracts from the AVIANCA website, which said SCADTA was founded in December 1919.  During World War II some of the SCADTA shares were sold to Pan America; in 1940 SCADTA and another Columbian airline, SACO, merged to form AVIANCA.  They also provided information about other mergers AVIANCA had entered into since 1940.    

2. & 3. Qantas said the claim was based on the breadth and depth of their experience.  They had achieved a number of world firsts for the airline industry: they introduced the longest flight over water in 1928; the world's longest air route in 1947; the first around-the-world flight in 1958; and the first business class travel in 1979.  They also said they had led the way in several commercial innovations and had been at the forefront of all major technical innovations relating to aircraft safety and operations as well as holding records for the world's longest non-stop flight and the longest distance record.  They stated that they were the only airline to have built and flown its own aircraft and were supported in doing so by the southern hemisphere's largest and most technically advanced engineering facilities; they had 87 years of embracing new aircraft technology into their fleet.  

Qantas said they had an excellent customer service record, having been listed as one of the world's top five airlines in the Skytrax World Airline Awards for the past six years, a proven safety record with no fatalities for jet operations and a record of onboard product innovations.  They also said they operated a vast and highly diverse network of services including domestic services in Australia and New Zealand, long-haul and ultra long-haul routes; they were one of the only airlines to operate a domestic service in a non-home market and one of the only 'end-point' carriers to operate routes to all six major continents.  They said their heritage, combined with their safety record, world firsts, engineering capabilities and 87 years of continuous service made them the world's most experienced airline.  Qantas said 'flight hours' was a technical measure of experience for pilots and other aircrew but did not apply to airlines as companies; experience should be considered as multi-dimensional and not measured by any one element.        

Clearcast said the "world's most experienced" claim in ad (a) was approved in conjunction with "having flown continuously for 87 years".  

4. Qantas stated that 'Qantas Skybed' was the name of their international business product, which had existed for a number of years.  They said the ad described only the comfort of the Skybed and did not describe it as a flat bed.  They nevertheless said, in view of the complaint, they would remove the image until this bed was available on flights to the UK, to avoid viewers being misled.   

Clearcast said the Skybeds currently in use were not completely flat and the ad did not claim they were.  They stated that the bed shown in the ad did seem to be at a small angle.  They asserted that the Skybed specification said that you could adjust the bed into "more positions than you thought possible" but did not describe the bed as flat.

Assessment

1. Not upheld

The ASA noted that two other airlines had been established before Qantas but neither had flown continuously during their existence.  We noted the ad referred to how long Qantas had flown continuously and did not claim they were founded first. We considered viewers were unlikely to be misled into thinking Qantas were the airline established first.   

On this point, we investigated the ad under CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1 (Misleading advertising), 5.2.1 (Evidence) and 5.4.6 (Comparative advertising) but did not find it in breach.

2. Not upheld

The ASA noted 'flight hours' was a measure that usually applied to the experience of pilots, or the age of aircraft, rather than airlines.  We noted ad (a) stated that the claim was based on the number of years flown continuously and considered that Qantas had flown continuously for 87 years was not in dispute.  Because the ad made clear the basis of the claim "most experienced airline" we concluded it was not misleading.

On this point, we investigated the ad under CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1 (Misleading advertising), 5.2.1 (Evidence) and 5.4.6 (Comparative advertising) but did not find it in breach.

3. Not upheld

We noted Qantas provided details of several factors, which they felt contributed to their breadth and depth of experience to make them the "world's most experienced airline".  We considered most readers would interpret the claim to mean that Qantas had actively operated for a longer period of time than any other airline.  We noted Qantas had been the longest serving airline, in terms of continuous operation, and considered their world firsts, record setting and innovations, amongst other factors, provided additional background support for the claim.

Because Qantas had provided evidence to show that they were the longest continuously operating airline we concluded ad (b) was unlikely to mislead.  

On this point, we investigated the ad under CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness) and 19.1 (Other comparisons) but did not find it in breach.

4. Upheld

The ASA welcomed Qantas' assurance that they would not use the image until the fully flat bed was available on UK flights, which was anticipated to be in January 2009.  

We noted while the bed in the ad appeared to be extended flat at 180 degrees to the floor, the fully flat Skybed was not currently available on any flights from the UK; the only Skybed currently available on selected flights from the UK was shown on the Qantas website extended to a flat position but with the footrest clearly touching the floor, rather than laying 'fully flat' at 180 degrees.  

We acknowledged the ad did not refer to a 'flat' bed but because both types of bed available were called 'Skybed', we considered the brief image of someone lying in a fully flat position, in conjunction with the on-screen text, implied the fully flat Skybeds were already available on flights from the UK.  Because this was not the case, we concluded that ad (a) was misleading.

On this point, the ad breached rule 5.1 (Misleading advertising) of the CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code.

Action

Ad (a) must not be broadcast again in its current form.  We told Qantas not to use images of products that were not currently available in the UK.

Ad (b): no further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)