Ad description
A website for Cheap Flights Corner, included a page headed "Welcome to Cheap Flights Corner Travel Tips" which stated "Financial Protection ... Travel Trust Association is a travel trade organization that enables us to provide you with the best possible financial guarantee. It provides a 100% financial protection for you and your family when flying with us. Click Here for more Information". A box on the right of the page also stated "Book Cheap Flights With Confidence ... 100% Money Protection".
Issue
The complainant, who understood that the advertiser was not a member of the Travel Trust Association (TTA), challenged whether the ad was misleading.
Response
Emaan Travel Ltd t/a Cheap Flights Corner did not respond to the ASA's enquiries.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA was concerned by Emaan Travel Ltd's lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code, which was a breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.7 1.7 Any unreasonable delay in responding to the ASA's enquiries will normally be considered a breach of the Code. (Unreasonable delay). We reminded them of their responsibility to provide a response to our enquiries and told them to do so in future.
The ad stated that Cheap Flights Corner was a member of TTA and that as a result there was 100% financial protection for customers booking through them. We had not seen any evidence that Cheap Flights Corner were a member of the TTA and when their name was entered on the relevant 'Verify TTA Member' page of the TTA website they were not listed. We therefore concluded that the references to the TTA and 100% financial protection were misleading.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising), 3.7 3.7 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective and that are capable of objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading in the absence of adequate substantiation. (Substantiation) and 3.50 3.50 Marketing communications must not display a trust mark, quality mark or equivalent without the necessary authorisation. Marketing communications must not claim that the marketer (or any other entity referred to), the marketing communication or the advertised product has been approved, endorsed or authorised by any public or other body if it has not or without complying with the terms of the approval, endorsement or authorisation. (Endorsements and testimonials).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Emaan Travel Ltd not to state or imply that they were members of the TTA, or that they offered 100% financial protection on that basis. We referred the matter to CAP's Compliance team.
