Ryanair Refuses To Withdraw Controversial Ad

January 29, 2008 10:40 p.m. EST

London, U.K. (AHN) - Irish airline Ryanair announced its decision to defy the orders of the U.K. advertising watchdog, and continue to run a controversial ad that was told to be taken out of circulation.

The airline called the order "absurd."

The ad, showing a woman dressed in a provocative schoolgirl outfit, was deemed as "irresponsible" by the Advertising Standards Authority. Underneath the photo was the tagline about the airline's "hottest back to school fares."

The ad appeared in the Herald, Daily Mail, and the Scottish Daily Mail, obtaining a 3.5-million circulation, according to The Press Association.

A total of 13 complains from readers cried out that the ad linked teenage girls to illicit and sexual behaviors. The ASA recently catered to the outcry, ordering the three newspapers to take down the ad and never run it again.

"We considered that her appearance and pose, in conjunction with the heading 'hottest' appeared to link teenage girls with sexually provocative behavior and was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence," the ASA was quoted by In The News.co.uk

The airline responded by saying that 13 complaints out of a more than 3 million readership was an "insignificant" proportion.

"It is remarkable that a fully clothed model is now claimed to cause 'serious or widespread offence'," said Ryanair head of communications Peter Sherrard, "when many of the UK's leading daily newspapers regularly run pictures of topless or partially dressed females without causing any serious or widespread offence."

Sherrard continued by calling the ASA demanding orders for censorship's sake, and not advertising regulations.