The operator sent out a mailing on January 14 with the subject line "Psst! Our £100pp sale has started!" promising £100 off all holidays and city breaks for three days. A complaint was made by a customer who did not believe the ad was genuine and who was told by Jet2holidays that the sale had begun on January 1.

The operator later admitted the sale had actually started on Christmas Day and said the ad was intended to act as a reminder. It agreed not to use the wording "has started" in future.

Jet2holidays argued that its dynamic pricing model meant that prices fluctuated during the sale period. However, the ASA ruled that ‘despite having an appreciation of these price fluctuations, in the absence of further information about the basis of any savings claims made, consumers would be unable to have an informed understanding of whether or not the discounted price constituted a genuine, meaningful saving’.

The ASA also said consumers would think that the offers were for only a three-day period and that prices would not fluctuate during that period. Consumers were entitled to expect a £100 discount on January 14 on a holiday price advertised the previous day, it said.

Another ASA complaint, about Thomson, was not upheld. The operator’s website had advertised £100 off with a sale code, but the complainant believed the price of her holiday had increased by £100, counteracting the saving.

Thomson supplied details that proved that flight and room type choice had affected the basic rate offered and that no staff had been in the trading department during the sale period over Christmas to change prices when the booking was made.

The ASA ruled that the ad did not breach its code because the discount code was applied at checkout and would have resulted in a genuine £100 saving.