The two adverts, one of which had appeared in the Guardian and the other in the Daily Telegraph and The Independent, breached advertising rules because they were "likely to cause widespread offence," the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.
Both ads were promoting cheap flights and Ryanair's cabin crew charity calendar and featured two different women in bras and pants. They carried the text 'red hot fares & crew'. A total of 17 people complained that the ads were "sexist and objectified women, particularly female cabin crew" and argued that they were "offensive and unsuitable for display in a national newspaper," ASA said.
"The ASA noted both ads promoted one way fares from £9.99 and a cabin crew charity calendar. We also noted the women ... were wearing underwear and looking directly at the reader and considered that, although the images were not overtly sexual in content, the appearance, stance and gaze of the women, particular the one in [the Guardian ad] who was shown pulling her pants slightly down, were likely to be seen as sexually suggestive," the watchdog's ruling said.
"We also considered that most readers would interpret these images, in conjunction with the text 'RED HOT FARES & CREW!!!' and the names of the women, as linking female cabin crew with sexually suggestive behaviour," the ruling said. "Although we acknowledged that the women in the ads had consented to appear in the calendar, we considered that the ads were likely to cause widespread offence, when displayed in a national newspaper, and therefore concluded that they breached the Code. [The ads] must not appear again in their current form."
Under advertising rules set out in the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotions and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) marketing communications are prohibited from containing "anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence". According to the CAP Code the "context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards" will determine whether the ad complies with rules. Ads that are deemed to be "distasteful" are not necessarily prohibited.