Advertising Standards Authority rules that Google links were misleading Ryanair customers
The advertising watchdog has ruled that travel comparison site eDreams has been misleading customers through its Google advertisements.
The Advertising Standards Authority has been looking into a series of complaints from consumers after Ryanair claimed the website was duping customers who believed they were booking directly with the airline.
The budget Irish carrier has also called on search giant Google to remove eDreams from its promoted search listings but says it has been ignored.
Ryanair’s Kenny Jacobs said:
Google is clearly aware of this misleading advertising, because Ryanair has brought it to its attention at every level within the organisation. We believe that Google has thus far failed to block this misleading advertising, precisely because it boosts Google’s advertising revenues by actively misleading consumers into believing they are booking tickets on Ryanair and/or other websites when in fact they are booking on a third party website.
In December last year Ryanair brought a civil case against Google in Ireland following requests to remove eDreams from search results.
In Germany Ryanair won a case forcing Google removing eDreams from results.
A spokesperson for eDreams said:
There is no intention to imitate the appearance of specific airlines, as eDreams clearly indicates to its customers that they are on one of its own websites, rather than that of any airline, allowing them to view thousands of flight combinations in a matter of seconds to find the best value flights.
EDreams, based in Spain, is headed up by ex-EasyJet chief of of operations Dana Dunne.