Ryanair has discontinued its Prime membership programme just eight months after launch, marking a rare retreat from a product designed to lock in frequent travellers. The airline confirmed that while no new registrations will be accepted, its existing 55,000 Prime members will continue receiving monthly offers until October 2026.
The decision stems from a simple financial mismatch: the scheme cost the airline more than it brought in. According to chief marketing officer Dara Brady, Prime generated more than €4.4 million in subscription revenue during the trial but delivered over €6 million in fare discounts to members. Launched in late March, Prime was pitched as a new loyalty model for Europe’s largest low-cost carrier. For £79 a year, subscribers received free reserved seating, travel insurance and monthly sales, with enrolment capped at 250,000 members. But uptake remained far below expectations.
Brady said the current level of activity “does not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales for our 55,000 Prime members,” signalling that operational strain also played a role in the decision to end the trial.
Despite Ryanair’s withdrawal, subscriptions are gaining traction in global aviation as carriers explore new ways to stabilise revenue and cultivate loyalty. Alaska Airlines recently expanded its Flight Pass with a club-style tier, AirAsia revamped its own programme, and several airlines – including Saudia – have turned to travel-tech specialist Caravelo to power subscription-based products. Ryanair’s experiment now stands as an outlier in a sector increasingly exploring recurring-revenue models.
