Ryanair has decided to scrap its Prime loyalty programme after just eight months due to losing money on the venture.
The Ireland-based budget carrier launched the membership scheme to reward frequent travellers in March. The subscription service allowed members to benefit from free reserved seats, travel insurance and exclusive fare discounts every month.
But in a statement, Ryanair said it had closed Prime to new members on Friday (28 November) because it was losing money on the initiative.
Dara Brady, Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, added: “Over the years, customers have asked for a Ryanair members scheme, so we trialled this Prime scheme over the last eight months.
“To date, we have signed up over 55,000 Prime members, generating over €4.4 million in subscription fees. However, our Prime members have received over €6 million in fare discounts, so this trial has cost more money than it generates.”
Brady said this level of membership and subscription revenue “does not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales”.
Ryanair had been selling annual Prime membership for £79 in the UK or €79 in Ireland. Although the programme is now closed, existing members will continue to receive access to monthly discounts until October 2026.