Sexy Spirit Airlines ad that mocks BP oil disaster sparks outrage

Melbourne, June 24 : A US airline has come under fire over a new advertisement featuring scantily clad women that makes fun of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The Spirit Airlines websites' new promotion features a series of images of oil-drenched women in bikinis under the tag line "Check out the oil on our beaches," reports the Daily Telegraph.

In the ads, women are accompanied by a green-and-yellow bottle of "Best Protection" 50 SPF sunscreen, with the B and P highlighted to stand out.

The ads are promoting a 50-dollar discount on travel to the carrier's coastal destinations: Cancun; Mexico; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Atlantic City.

However, the ads have prompted an angry response on Twitter, with people calling the campaign "tasteless" and "offensive".

A Facebook page called "Tell Spirit Airlines their Oil Ads are Offensive" has also been set up.

Spirit Airlines defended itself by issuing a statement saying the ads were created to reassure the public the destinations they fly to have not been affected by the BP oil spill.

"It is unfortunate that some have misunderstood our intention with today's beach promotion," the statement said.

It added: "We are merely addressing the false perception that we have oil on our beaches, and we are encouraging customers to support Florida and our other beach destinations by continuing to travel to these vacation hot spots."