U.K. knocks EasyJet for ‘misleading’ baggage info

EasyJet planes stand on the tarmac of Luton Airport in Luton, England Thursday on April 15, 2010.

Britain’s advertising regulator said Wednesday that information published by budget airline easyJet about its baggage prices was misleading after a complaint from a consumer group.

The consumer advocacy group which alerted the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to information on easyJet’s website that said large cabin bags could be brought on board for fees starting from £5.99 (US$8.30).

The ASA said the airline responded that the webpage was for information purposes and not part of a marketing campaign, and that the price was available on a range of routes.

However the ASA ruled against the airline, saying easyJet failed to provide data to back up its claim the price was widely available.

“Because we had not seen sufficient evidence to demonstrate that large cabin bags were available to book for £5.99 across a range of flight routes and dates, we concluded the ‘from’ pricing claim had not been substantiated and was misleading,” the ASA said in its ruling.