EasyJet’s claim that adding large cabin bags to flight bookings costs “from £5.99” has been deemed “misleading” by a watchdog. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled there was “insufficient evidence” to demonstrate the price was obtainable “across a range of flight routes and dates”.
The regulator has banned the carrier from using this wording in promotional material and instructed it to guarantee that future “from” prices for large cabin bags reflect the lowest available cost “across a significant proportion of flights”. Large cabin bags are intended to be stored in the aircraft’s overhead compartments. The majority of budget carriers impose additional charges on passengers wishing to travel with such luggage.
EasyJet told the watchdog that its advertised rate was correct and accessible on various routes, though pricing fluctuated based on elements including availability, demand and operational expenses.
The airline added that the actual price for a particular booking was clearly displayed before purchase to maintain transparency.
The ASA’s decision regarding easyJet comes after consumer organisation Which? conducted research revealing that the charge for adding a large cabin bag exceeded £5.99 on all 520 easyJet flights examined.
The minimum price was £23.49, whilst the mean cost was £30.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, 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 said in a statement: “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.”