RYANAIR is shutting down its Prime annual membership programme after just eight months, stating that the subscriber scheme cost the airline more than it generated.
The budget carrier confirmed the closure on Friday, saying no new sign-ups would be permitted from November 28, although existing members will continue to receive benefits until their 12-month term expires.
Prime launched in February and was later rolled out more broadly in March, charged an annual fee of €79 and promised perks such as discounted fares, free reserved seating on up to 12 flights a year, access to exclusive seat-sale windows and complimentary travel insurance.
At launch, Ryanair said it would cap the service at 250,000 members.
But only around 55,000 passengers subscribed.
Although membership fees generated more than €4.4m, Ryanair said customers collectively benefited from over €6m in discounts, leaving the scheme €1.6m in the red during the trial period.
“This trial has cost more money than it generates,” said Dara Brady, Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, in a public statement.
“The subscription revenue simply doesn’t justify the time and resources required to run monthly exclusive Prime seat sales.”
Some subscribers who maximised the benefits were able to save hundreds of euros, with potential savings estimated at between €54 and €456, depending on travel frequency and choice of routes.
But Ryanair said this level of value for members could not be sustained without undermining its low-fare model.
Although the scheme will be phased out, current Prime customers will retain access to exclusive fare promotions until October 2026 and can continue to use their remaining seat reservation and insurance benefits for the rest of their annual membership.
Ryanair, which expects to carry more than 207m passengers this year, said it will now refocus on offering the lowest possible fares to all travellers rather than maintaining a separate membership tier.
The airline has a long history of revenue-generating innovations, including pioneering checked-bag fees in 2006 and charging for airport check-ins in 2009 and recently increased bonuses paid to airport staff for identifying oversized cabin bags.
But the Prime experiment appears to have shown the limits within the low-cost sector, where only a few rivals, such as Wizz Air and the US-based Frontier, offer similar products.
“Ryanair will continue to focus on delivering the lowest fares in Europe to all our customers, and not just this subset of 55,000 Prime members,” Brady said.
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