ASA upholds BA complaint over easyJet ad

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint from BA that an easyJet regional press ad claiming its fares were up to 65 per cent cheaper than BA was misleading.

The ad promoting seven European destinations including Gibraltar, Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza, Malta, Faro and Majorca quoted the BA fare price, the easyJet price and the savings that could be made by choosing to fly with easyJet.

British Airways Head of Leisure Sales, Adam Daniels, said: "easyJet can't add up and they can't get away with misleading ads. The fares quoted were not correct and none of the quoted savings amounted to 65 per cent.

"We have some of the best value fares in the marketplace; in many cases cheaper than easyJet. As well as great fares we offer a generous baggage allowance, golf clubs and skis go free, complimentary food and drinks on board, pre-allocated seating and a fantastic network."

In their response to the ASA, easyJet said that as a result of human error, they had been unable to trace the relevant substantiation for the ad.

The ASA concluded: "The ad must not appear again in its current form. We reminded easyJet to hold substantiation for their claims and to ensure that savings claims did not exaggerate the extent of any saving to consumers."