Emirates online advert banned in SA
An Emirates Airline advertisement in South Africa has been banned for falsely promising ‘free’ Dubai holidays to children.
The airline ran an online promotion stating "two kids under 16 fly, stay, eat and play for free in Dubai" when parents paid to fly with the airline.
The advert was ruled to be misleading by South Africa's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a customer complained that he took up the offer paid R32,400 for he and his wife for a holiday booked through a travel agent.
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He later discovered that purchasing two individual tickets would have been R400 cheaper.
The ASA judged the Emirates promotion to be misleading because children would not benefit from "free" holidays under the terms of the offer – instead, a holiday booked under the promotion was more expensive.
Under ASA rules, advertisers are not permitted to "recoup the cost of a 'free' item by simply inflating the cost of another purchased item" and said Emirates had broken the rules.
