OFT investigation halts Ryanair ad complaints

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In April 2008, the ASA referred the airline to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for persistently breaching its rules on misleading advertising.

Since then, the ASA has received 121 further complaints about Ryanair, but the regulator has referred these to the OFT. The latter has added the complaints to its file, but not dealt with them.

An OFT spokesman said the Ryanair investigation was ongoing, but was unable to say when it would be concluded.

Brinsley Dresden, partner and head of media, brands and technology at law firm Lewis Silkin, said the regulatory situation meant that Ryanair had been 'insulated' from criticism for the past year.

'It's a real flaw in the system,' he added. 

A spokesman for the ASA confirmed the figures, but said this did not mean that Ryanair was in breach of the Advertising Code.

Separately, Lewis Silkin has suggested an overhaul of the ASA's regulatory process. It is to meet industry bodies including ISBA and the Advertising Association in a drive to rally support for its proposals.

ASA ad complaints

• Last year the ASA received 26,433 complaints about 15,556 ads.
• The number of complaints upheld increased by 27%.
• A hard-hitting campaign for the charity Barnardo's received most complaints last year - 840.
• In 2008, 2475 ads were changed or withdrawn as a result of ASA action.