Prime service ‘cost more money than it generates’
Ryanair has announced the closure of its Prime subscriptions scheme after less than a year.
The low-cost carrier said the initiative has cost it more money than it has generated.
Prime was introduced eight months ago, offering customers discounts on fares in return for a subscription fee.
All existing 55,000 Prime members will continue to have access to monthly fare offers until October 2026, but no new members will be allowed to sign up.
Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said: “Over the years, customers have asked for a Ryanair members scheme, so we trialled this ‘Prime’ scheme over the last 8 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.
“This level of memberships, 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.
“We are grateful to our 55,000 Prime members who signed up to this 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.
“With over 207 million passengers this year, Ryanair will continue to focus on delivering the lowest fares in Europe to all our customers, and not this subset of 55,000 Prime members.”
