ASA Adjudication on Jet2.com Ltd
Jet2.com Ltd
Low Fare Finder House
Leeds Bradford Airport
Leeds
LS19 7TU
Date:
24 August 2011
Media:
Television
Sector:
Holidays and travel
Number of complaints:
5
Complaint Ref:
A11-159270
Background
Ad
A TV ad, for an airline company, viewed on 16 and 19 May 2011. The ad featured two women in an airport pulling large suitcases along the concourse. The ad then showed one of the women struggling to lift the suitcase onto the conveyer belt. A voice-over, which accompanied the scene, stated “When you fly with Jet2.com we do everything we can to make sure you arrive happy. With a 22 kilogram bag allowance, you’ll be able to pack, well - all your bikinis! ... ”.
Issue
Five complainants challenged whether the claim “With a 22 kilogram bag allowance ...” misleadingly implied that baggage allowance was included within Jet2.com’s fares, because they believed that charges applied.
BCAP Code
Response
Jet2 explained that the ad promoted Jet2.com’s services and benefits. They noted the ad did not include a price message and believed the ad showed the service they provided and did not imply that baggage was free.
Clearcast believed the ad demonstrated the range of services offered by Jet2. They highlighted that the ad included other services such as allocated seating, great flight times and comfortable seats. They noted that no prices were stated in the ad and believed the ad was not misleading.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA acknowledged that the ad referred to multiple services offered by Jet2. However, we considered that consumers were likely to interpret the claim “With a 22 kilogram bag allowance ...” to mean that baggage allowance was included within Jet2.com’s fares. Since we understood that baggage allowance was not included within Jet2.com’s fares, and the ad did not make that clear, we concluded that the ad was misleading.
The ad breached BCAP Code (Edition 1) rules 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 (Misleading advertising)
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Jet2.com to make clear that charges applied to their baggage allowance in future.
