The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024
Booking.com kept advertising a free airport taxi it had already cancelled
Booking.com cancelled its free-airport-taxi service for Korean users in June 2022 but ran the ad for another 15 months — the KFTC fined it 195 million won.
Booking.com · 2024-10-27
What happened
In April 2022 Booking.com launched a 'free airport taxi' promotion for Korean users: booking a qualifying accommodation above a set amount earned a free taxi ride from the airport to the hotel.
The service was discontinued in June 2022, but the promotional advertising text kept appearing to Korean consumers from June 2022 through September 2023 — more than a year after the offer had quietly ended.
On 27 October 2024 the Korea Fair Trade Commission found the continued display misleading and imposed a corrective order together with a surcharge of 195 million won (₩195,000,000) on the Dutch operator Booking.com B.V. for advertising that misled consumers.
Why it happened
- A promotion that has ended is no longer a promotion — running its ad after the fact promises a benefit that cannot be delivered
- The offer stayed visible for 15 months after being cancelled, so consumers booked on a promise the company had already withdrawn
- Ending the service quietly while keeping the banner left the discrepancy invisible until the booking
The lesson
An ad is a promise, and a promise must still be true. Booking.com kept selling a free airport taxi for 15 months after killing the service — the KFTC made the difference cost 195 million won.
Aftermath
The KFTC ordered Booking.com B.V. to correct the misleading display and pay a 195-million-won surcharge. The case is an example of a regulator punishing a promotion that stayed up long after it was discontinued.
Sources
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