Southwest Airlines has been handed a $200,000 fine for false advertising by the US Department of Transportation.
The DOT said Southwest’s fares highlighted in a TV ad campaign were deceptive and violated advertising standards.
In fact, the fares it offered simply didn’t exist.
Southwest showed TV ads in the Atlanta market offering "amazing low sale fares of $59 to places like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago".
According to the carrier, this was a simply an error as the three destinations were not part of the Atlanta fare sale campaign.
"As soon as we became aware of our mistake, we pulled all incorrect advertisements off the air," said spokesman Brad Hawkins.
DOT advertising standards require airlines to have a "reasonable number" of seats available at an advertised price.
Southwest said it honoured the $59 fare for flights to the three cities for customers who contacted its call centre and requested the advertised fare.
The DOT also handed down an extra $100,000 penalty which had been suspended for a similar transgression last year.
by Ray Montgomery, Editor TravelMole US
