KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Facebook users rained criticism on Firefly Airlines this week after the airline featured women’s bottoms in their advertisements for cheap flight tickets.

Among others, users who took offence to the advertisements slammed the airline for attempting to entice customers with promotional materials that some described as “sexist” and “disgusting”.

The airline had posted two related advertisements on March 7 and March 11 on its Facebook page, both showing the bottom half of women in pencil skirts. The advertisements were still accessible this afternoon but a check on the airline’s page this evening showed that both have since been removed.

The first advertisement posted along with the message “Come grab it real fast” showed a woman in the airline’s corporate orange colour standing beside a bench that had a signage that said “50%” on it. The woman’s skirt had the same “50%” imprinted on, indicating that the freshly painted sign had rubbed off on her derriere. Accompanying the advertisement were the words “Firefly sticks to you”.

Facebook users rained criticism on Firefly Airlines this week after the airline featured women’s bottoms in their advertisements — file pic

Facebook user Adriene Leong criticised the advertisement, writing in a comment below the post: “Firefly Airlines, the above ad is sexist. Could you not communicate your message without having to resort to writing on a faceless woman’s bottom? Would you have done the same ad with a male flight attendant’s bottom? Don’t think so.”

In the second advertisement where the airline said it was increasing its discount to 60 per cent, the figures “50%” and “10%” were imprinted on the black-skirted bottoms of two women. Beside their images was the phrase, “Oooppss.. We Did It Again”.

More criticisms came in from Facebook users for the March 11 posting, with Noel Dass stating: “Firefly, this is beyond acceptable in this day and age! Stop objectifying women! You are far behind the time when it comes to being professional and gender-sensitive! Your ad campaign is a disgrace!”

“Disgraceful! Disgusting n women exploitation. Shame on u firefly,” Facebook user Iman Ibrahim wrote.

Heather Smeaton wrote: “This ad is incredibly sexist and is, I think, disrespectful to women. To offer discounts, which are printed on flight attendants’ bottoms (are their ‘services’ for sale?) gives a terrible impression about how you view your female staff and women in general. I think you should come up with a new ad.”

Some went one step further by urging action on the marketing personnel responsible for the advertisement, with Melissa Gaspar saying: “This is utterly disgraceful. Firefly, sack your entire marketing team.”

“Firefly, this is ridiculous, your ad is very discriminating to women and whoever came up with this ad & whoever approved it should be fired! Stop disrespecting women,” Facebook user Mel Steeven wrote.

Facebook user Teoh Han Hui responded with a comment stating “Hit them where it hurts #DontFlyFireflyz”, while Kok Sen Wai wrote “I guess I’ll never be flying with Firefly again”.

Malay Mail Online contacted Firefly Airlines yesterday but has yet to receive a response on the advertisements of a three-day promotion ending March 13 for flights during the travel period of March 11, 2016 to March 25, 2017.