The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a formal warning to easyJet and banned the airline from advertising carry-on baggage fees as available "from £5.99" after ruling the claim was misleading to passengers.
ASA investigation finds insufficient evidence
The advertising watchdog concluded there was "insufficient evidence" that the £5.99 price point was genuinely available "across a range of flight routes and dates" as suggested by easyJet's marketing materials. The authority has ordered the budget airline to immediately cease using this pricing claim in its promotional content.
New requirements for future advertising
Under the ASA's ruling, easyJet must ensure that any "from" price advertised for large cabin bags in the future represents the lowest price available "across a significant proportion of flights." This stricter requirement aims to prevent similar misleading claims from appearing in the airline's future marketing campaigns.
Consumer investigation reveals true pricing
The ASA's decision followed a comprehensive investigation by consumer group Which? that analysed 520 easyJet flights and found the advertised £5.99 price was essentially unattainable for passengers. The research revealed that the actual cost for adding a large cabin bag was substantially higher across all examined flights.
The investigation found:
- The lowest price discovered was £23.49
- The average price across all flights was approximately £30
- Prices were typically five times higher than the advertised "from £5.99" claim
Industry response and consumer advice
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, 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 explained: "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. When booking a trip, customers should consider choosing an airline without cabin bag add-ons as it may work out cheaper."
EasyJet's defence and compliance measures
EasyJet maintained that its advertised pricing was accurate and available on various routes, explaining that prices naturally vary depending on availability, demand, and operational costs. The airline emphasised that the actual price for any specific booking was clearly displayed to customers before purchase.
In response to the ASA's findings, easyJet stated: "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 ruling represents a significant intervention by the advertising regulator into airline pricing practices and serves as a warning to other carriers about making potentially misleading claims regarding additional fees and charges.
