EasyJet used ‘misleading’ baggage price claim, says regulator
EasyJet’s claim that the cost of adding large cabin bags to flight bookings was “from £5.99” was “misleading”, a regulator has found.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said there was “insufficient evidence” that the price was available “across a range of flight routes and dates”.
It banned the airline from using the phrase in marketing communications and told it to ensure that for future “from” prices for large cabin bags, the lowest price is available “across a significant proportion of flights”.
Large cabin bags are designed to fit in overhead lockers on planes.
Most low-cost airlines charge passengers extra for travelling with one of these bags.
EasyJet told the regulator its advertised price was accurate and available on a range of routes but prices varied depending on factors such as availability, demand and operational cost.
It added that the actual price for a particular booking was clearly displayed before purchase to ensure transparency.
The ASA’s ruling on easyJet follows an investigation by consumer group Which? finding the price for adding a large cabin bag was more than £5.99 on all 520 easyJet flights analysed.
The lowest price found was £23.49 and the average was £30.
Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: “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.
“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.
“When booking a trip, customers should consider choosing an airline without cabin bag add-ons as it may work out cheaper.”
EasyJet was approached for a comment.
Published: by Radio NewsHub