Ryanair bikini ad banned - because destinations are 'too cold'

A Ryanair ad campaign promoting a flight sale for spring sun has been banned by the advertising watchdog ASA - because most of the destinations on offer have a maximum temperature of just 10C.

The campaign, which had the strapline Book To The Sun Now, ran in February and March, and featured a model in a bikini lazing on a beach and sipping a cocktail.

The Advertising Standards Authority received a complaint that the campaign was misleading because the destinations on offer - including Rimini, Lourdes, Derry, Glasgow, and Oslo - are not what you'd call sunbathing weather in February and March.

The ASA pointed out that the maximum temperatures for the seven of the destinations were between 6C and 9C. The warmest three averaged 11C and 14C while the coldest, Oslo, managed 0C and 4C.

Ryanair protested that the destinations had significant amounts of daytime sunshine during those months.

But the ASA told the Guardian: 'We considered that the average consumer would infer from the claim 'Book to the sun now' and the image of the woman sunbathing, in a bikini, with a cocktail, that the promotion included fares to destinations warm enough to sunbathe in swimwear during the promotional period.

'Because we understood this was not the case, we concluded that the ad was misleading.'

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