Mango, the low-cost South African Airways subsidiary, has been forced to withdraw all advertising of its in-flight WiFi services after a passenger complained that he was unable to access the service.
Mango launched its in-flight WiFi service in the first half of 2012.
One Mr Kowen lodged a consumer complaint against Mango Airlines for its Internet and print advertising promoting the airline’s on-board wireless services.
He said that he had specifically chosen Mango instead of his preferred airline because of the service, and had to forego loyalty points as a result. This decision, he said, was solely based on the advertised WiFi in-flight internet.
“However, the two aircraft used did not have working WiFi. According to flight crew on one aircraft, the WiFi had not been working for more than a month. This clearly makes the promise of on-board WiFi misleading,” the complainant said.
According to the Mango adverts: “G-Connect will provide access to the Internet via 3G, WiFi, ADSL and In-Flight WiFi, with a single online account. There is no need for separate accounts from separate service providers.
An advert on the plane itself read: “Wi-Fi Internet available on this flight”.
The ASA took into consideration a charge of misleading claims by the airline, and the non-availability of advertised products.
In its defense, Mango submitted that the complainant has a choice of several airlines in South Africa to provide transportation between two cities.
“While true that the WiFi was not working on any of his four flights, this is due to maintenance and repairs that were necessary,” Mango said.
source: mybroadband.co
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