Ryanair Pulls Plug on Prime Membership Scheme After Costly Eight-Month Trial
Ryanair has built its success on a simple formula: ultra-low fares, high passenger volumes, and clever ways of charging for the extras.
With more than 207 million passengers a year, the airline revolutionised the budget travel model from pioneering checked-bag fees in 2006 to charging for airport check-ins in 2009, long before smartphones made digital boarding passes effortless.
But even for Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier, not every experiment pays off.
How Ryanair Redefined Low-Cost Travel
Ryanair’s aggressive unbundling of fares transformed aviation two decades ago. What seemed outrageous in the mid-2000s charging for bags, seats, and late check-ins is now industry standard.
Earlier this year, the airline even increased the bonuses paid to airport staff for each non-compliant carry-on bag they identify. Passengers exceeding the small-bag allowance can face charges of up to £75, with their luggage sent to the hold.
It is this relentless focus on ancillary revenue that makes Ryanair profitable despite ultra-low ticket prices.
The Rise, and Fall, of Ryanair Prime
In March, Ryanair launched Prime, a €79/£79 annual subscription aimed at frequent flyers wanting perks without “breaking the bank.”
Membership included:
- Free reserved seats
- Free travel insurance
- Access to 12 exclusive monthly seat sales
- Unlimited booking of discounted Prime fares
- Regular alerts about upcoming member-only deals
Despite being open to 250,000 customers, only 55,000 passengers signed up.
On 28 November, Ryanair announced it was shutting the scheme to new members — and admitted the numbers simply didn’t add up.
A Trial That Cost More Than It Earned
Chief Marketing Officer Dara Brady revealed that while Prime generated €4.4 million in subscription revenue, members received over €6 million in discounted fares.
In short, it became a loss-maker.
“This level of subscription revenue does not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales,” Brady said. He stressed that Ryanair will instead focus on offering the lowest fares to all passengers not a select group of subscribers.
Existing Prime members will keep their benefits until their 12-month term ends, but renewals will not be offered, and the last day to join was 27 November. Benefits will remain available until October 2026 for those who subscribed early.
What This Means for Travellers
If you are already a Prime member, nothing changes until your subscription expires.
If not, the scheme is gone for good.
The decision underscores a reality: loyalty programmes only work when they drive profit, not when customers save more than they pay.
The Environmental Angle
Frequent-flyer programmes have increasingly come under scrutiny.
Groups such as Stay Grounded argue they encourage unnecessary flying and worsen environmental impacts, calling for bans on such schemes and the introduction of frequent-flyer levies.
The European Environment Agency has also warned that unlimited flight incentives can undermine emissions-reduction targets, fuel overtourism, and increase Europe’s carbon footprint.
From that perspective, Ryanair axing Prime may have an unexpected upside.