Ryanair has canned its subscription scheme after just eight months because customers were getting too many discounted flights.
The airlines Prime subscription service launched back in March, costing members £79 per year, and was hailed as a ‘game-changer’ for air travel.
It included benefits such as free reserved seats, free travel insurance and access to 12 annual member-exclusive seat sales (one booking per month).
When it first launched, the potential savings forecasted were £420 per member, if they flew 12 times per year. But it seems it worked a little too well for passengers, with Ryanair making a loss.
About 55,000 customers signed up to Prime, which generated £3.9 million (€4.4 million) for the budget airline, but the discounts they received far outweighed this.
‘Our Prime members have received over €6mn (£5.3 million) in fare discounts, so this trial has cost more money than it generates,’ said Ryanair CMO Dara Brady.
‘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.’
This means the scheme will no longer allow any new members to sign up, although those who have paid for the service will be able to use it until October 2026.
‘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,’ the CMO added.
It’ll be disappointing news for the passengers who praised the scheme initially.
Metro reader Angela Keating previously said: ‘For frequent flyers, it’s a good deal.’ While Chris Robinson added: ‘That’s a game-changer for people who travel a lot. Just think of all the extra holidays you could afford!’
And Sonia Burmby agreed, writing: ‘Love Ryanair! Flown with them for years…..does exactly what it says on the tin!’
Other airline discount schemes
Wizz Air has an ‘all you can fly’ scheme, for £495 (€599) for a yearly membership.
For your cash, you get access to unlimited flights to 200 destinations in over 50 countries, although you still need to pay a flat fee of £8.27 (€9.99) per booking.
EasyJet also has a loyalty programme which costs passengers £249, which gives customers greater flexibility to change flights as well as faster boarding and access to premium seats.
