Ryanair closes loyalty programme after eight months
The budget airline says the trial, which cost £79 a year, generated less revenue than it cost.
Ryanair has axed its ‘Prime’ membership programme after eight months, saying the trial cost more than it generated.
The budget airline confirmed it will close the scheme, which launched in March and offered members access to exclusive sales, free seats on up to 12 flights and travel insurance for £79 a year.
The trial signed up 55,000 members and generated over €4.4m (£3.86m) in subscription fees. However, Prime customers received more than €6m (£5.27m) in fare discounts.
“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,” says Ryanair CMO Dara Brady.
Existing members will keep their benefits until October 2026, but the airline will not accept new sign-ups.
Brady says Ryanair will instead “continue to focus on delivering the lowest fares in Europe to all our customers, and not this subset of 55,000 Prime members”.
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The scheme had been open to 250,000 members on a first-come, first-served basis for travellers in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
At launch, Brady described Prime as a “no brainer” for customers who use the airline more than a couple of times a year.
Data from the Competition and Markets Authority last year found loyalty pricing is becoming an even bigger part of the customer experience, with 97% of shoppers being a member of a least one scheme.
Wizz Air introduced a similar annual ‘All you can fly’ season ticket in August 2024, allowing customers to travel across its network for a flat fee at booking after a £499 yearly payment. It brought in 21,000 new subscribers last year.
Helen Edwards calls it a “neat example” of price innovation that brings “unexpected new benefits for both the customer and the business”.
EasyJet Plus, meanwhile, offers fast-track security, a large cabin bag and premium seating for £249 a year.
Despite the setback on subscriptions, Ryanair’s half-year profits after tax rose 42% to €2.54bn ($2.92bn) as traffic increased 3% year-on-year to 119 million passengers.
