Aer Lingus recruits 999 nudes for fare publicity stunt

The stunt was designed to grab media attention for the brand's move into the cheap flights arena where it will compete with big advertisers Easyjet and Ryanair and timed to coincide with St Patrick's Day.

Participants walked a short distance along the Thames from the Albert Embankment to the London Eye, attracting the attention of thousands of sightseers.

While organisers called the event 999 Nudes, the police warned there could be fines for people going completely nude.

Enda Corneille, corporate affairs director at Aer Lingus, said: "We had a police visit this morning [yesterday] where we were warned that if any of the participants were completely nude, they would be liable to a fine for 'indecent exposure'.

"However, once out of sight of the cautious police, many of the participants ignored police warnings and stripped off for the bewildered, but eager, on-looking crowds, who captured the event on their camera phones."

Aer Lingus hired Golley Slater as its first UK PR agency in February and has also just started a six-month sponsorship of Capital Radio's breakfast show.