The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against Virgin Atlantic Airways adverts which showed an image of its new premium economy seat.
Complaints made against both a magazine and newspaper advert claimed they were misleading because the new, bigger seats and increased legroom were not available to premium economy seats on all flights. People also complained that the premium economy seats they took were not in a separate cabin and they were not served by a dedicated crew.
Virgin Atlantic Airways said the adverts stated clearly in the footnote that the seats were not available on all flights. They also argued that most airlines advertised new seats before they were available on 100% of routes.
However, the ASA ruled that a disclaimer, which appeared in the small text outside the adverts was likely to be overlooked by readers. It also ruled that the adverts were misleading because the cabins were not self-contained and it was not the case on all flights that they had a designated crew.