Irish low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair announced it will be closing its frequent flyer membership club. The airline explained it lost more than €1.6 million through the Prime programme only eight months after it launched.
More than 55,000 customers signed up to the scheme, and they will continue to benefit from exclusive offers until October 2026. However, as of 28 November, Prime will accept no new members.
Launched in February 2025, Prime offered customers across the UK and the EU flight discounts, free reserved seating on up to 12 flights, and travel insurance. Available for a flat fee of €79 a year, membership netted Ryanair €4.4 million in revenue. But the benefits distributed were valued at more than €6 million, meaning Prime was ultimately a loss-making venture.
Dara Brady, Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer, explained:
This trial has cost more money than it generates. This level of membership, or subscription revenue, does not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales for our 55,000 Prime members.
The LCC said that it would continue to offer its trademark low fares and seasonal offers in spite of Prime’s closure. In a statement, Ryanair explained:
We are grateful to our 55,000 Prime members who signed up to this Prime trial over the last eight months, and they can rest assured that they will continue to enjoy exclusive flight and seat savings for the remainder of their 12-month membership.
This news comes not long after rival European LCC Wizz Air announced they were relaunching their Wizz MultiPass subscription plan. Omani LCC SalamAir have also launched a new subscription, as low-cost carriers try to earn more revenue from frequent flyers.
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