UK advertising watchdog says Ryanair Airline ad offensive

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Britain's advertising watchdog criticized Ryanair on Wednesday for an advertisement portraying a scantily clad schoolgirl seductively twirling her hair in an empty classroom to promote low-cost "back to school" fares. The text for the budget airline's newspaper advertisement reads: "HOTTEST back to school fares" and the Advertising Standards Authority said the headline, combined with the model's pose, "appeared to link teenage girls with sexually provocative behavior." It added that the advertisement was likely to cause "serious or widespread offense" and demanded Ryanair not run it again. Ryanair Holdings PLC said the ruling was absurd and said it had no intention of honoring it.