EasyJet Cabin Bag Advertisement Banned Over Misleading Pricing Claims
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has taken decisive action against easyJet, banning a promotional advertisement for misleading customers regarding the cost of bringing large cabin bags on board their flights. The ruling comes after a formal challenge from the consumer protection group Which?, which questioned whether the airline's pricing claims could be substantiated.
Core of the Complaint: 'From £5.99' Claim Under Scrutiny
At the heart of the dispute was easyJet's presentation of pricing information on its website. The airline had displayed a section titled 'Fees and charges', which stated that large cabin bags were available 'from £5.99'. However, the ASA's investigation concluded that easyJet was unable to provide concrete evidence demonstrating that bags were actually available at this advertised starting price across a significant proportion of its flight routes and dates.
In its defence, easyJet argued that the 'Fees and Charges' page was intended purely for informational purposes and was not designed as part of a broader marketing campaign. The airline maintained that £5.99 represented a genuine starting price point, with no bags available below that cost, and that the actual price for adding a bag was always shown transparently during the booking process before purchase.
ASA's Ruling: Insufficient Evidence and Breach of Advertising Codes
The ASA, however, found this defence inadequate. In its published ruling, the authority stated: 'We therefore expected to see evidence, in the form of relevant pricing and availability data, demonstrating that large cabin bags could be booked at the "from £5.99" price across a range of flights and dates.' The ASA noted that while it acknowledged easyJet's assurance, this alone was insufficient to substantiate the 'from' pricing claim commonly understood by consumers.
Consequently, the ASA found that the advertisement breached several rules of the CAP Code (Edition 12), specifically rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation), and 3.17 and 3.22 (Prices). The marketing communication has been banned from appearing again in its complained-of form. The ASA has instructed easyJet to ensure that any future use of 'from' price claims must reflect genuine availability across a significant proportion of its flights.
Broader Context: Which? Investigation Reveals Widespread Issue
This ruling follows investigative research by Which? Travel, which revealed that easyJet's cheapest advertised cabin bag prices are rarely available in practice. Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, commented: 'It's frankly astonishing that airlines think they can ignore the rules and mislead customers with unattainable prices, so it's absolutely right that the ASA has made this ruling against easyJet as a result of our complaint.'
Boland further highlighted a concerning industry trend: 'Our recent investigation found that there is a culture of airlines using low headline fares - then charging exorbitant prices on top to take a standard cabin bag. The easyJet cabin bag prices we collected were typically five times as much as the "from £5.99" it claimed.' He advised consumers to consider airlines without cabin bag add-ons, as they may ultimately offer better value.
EasyJet's Response and Commitment to Clarity
In response to the ruling, easyJet issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to customer transparency: 'We always aim to provide clear information to our customers on pricing, and the purpose of this page was to display factual information on fees and charges to customers. We always have some large cabin bags available for the lowest price. In light of the ASA’s feedback, we have made some changes to the page to ensure the information is as clear as possible for consumers.'
The case underscores the ongoing tension between airline pricing strategies and consumer protection regulations, setting a clear precedent for how 'from' pricing claims must be evidenced and communicated in the competitive travel sector.
