What's happened
The ASA has ruled that Flixbus, Booking.com, and several hotel chains overstated ticket and room availability in their 'from' price claims. The regulator found that only a small proportion of tickets or rooms were available at the advertised prices, making the ads misleading and requiring changes to ensure transparency.
What's behind the headline?
The ASA's recent rulings highlight a persistent issue with 'from' price claims in advertising. Despite including qualifiers like 'subject to availability,' companies like Flixbus and hotel chains have been found to exaggerate how many tickets or rooms are available at the promotional prices. This undermines consumer trust, especially when availability fluctuates seasonally or is limited to specific dates.
The regulator's focus on transparency is crucial; misleading ads distort market perceptions and can lead to consumer frustration. The rulings serve as a warning that promotional claims must reflect actual availability across a meaningful proportion of the calendar year. Companies that fail to do so risk reputational damage and regulatory sanctions.
Looking ahead, these decisions will likely prompt businesses to review their advertising practices, ensuring that 'from' prices are genuinely accessible throughout the promotional period. This could lead to more accurate marketing, fostering greater consumer confidence and fair competition in the transport and hospitality sectors.
What the papers say
The Scotsman reports that the ASA upheld a complaint against Flixbus for misleading 'from' price claims, revealing only 6% of tickets were available at the advertised price, which contradicts consumer expectations of consistent availability. The Independent details similar rulings against Booking.com, Accor, Travelodge, and Hilton, where only limited rooms were available at the promotional rates, despite claims suggesting broader availability. Both articles emphasize the importance of truthful advertising and the regulator's role in enforcing transparency. Critics argue that such practices erode trust, especially when seasonal fluctuations are used to mask limited availability, but the ASA's actions aim to restore confidence by demanding clearer, more accurate marketing.
How we got here
The ASA has been scrutinising the use of 'from' price claims across various sectors, including transport and hospitality. Previous rulings targeted misleading advertising practices where companies overstated availability at promotional prices. These actions aim to protect consumers from false expectations and ensure fair marketing standards.
Go deeper
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Advertising Standards Authority may refer to:
Advertising Standards Bureau (Australia)
Advertising Standards Authority (Ireland)
Advertising Standards Authority (New Zealand)
Advertising Standards Authority (South Africa)
Advertising Standards Authority.
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Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the single largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest worldwide.
Accor operates in 100 countries, w
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Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Asia.
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Booking.com is an online travel agency for lodging reservations. It is owned and operated by and is the primary revenue source of United States-based Booking Holdings and is headquartered in Amsterdam.
The website has over 28 million listings. The site is