Ryanair has terminated its discount scheme after a trial of just eight months led to the famously penny-pinching airline paying out more in flights than it earned through its membership subscriptions. As a result, new sign-ups to the loyalty programme were halted on 28 November 2025.
The low-cost Irish carrier had only launched the “Prime” subscriber programme in March this year, offering free seat reservations, travel insurance, and access to exclusive ticket deals and unlimited Prime discount fares, at a cost of €79 for 12 months’ membership. Aimed at “frequent flyers that want to fly regularly but don’t want to break the bank to do so,” the scheme was billed as offering potential savings per customer in excess of €400.
But the usually canny operator did its sums wrong when devising the programme and has broken its own bank instead. Commenting on the rise and fall of the scheme, Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said: “Over the years, customers have asked for a Ryanair members scheme, so we trialled this ‘Prime’ scheme over the last eight months. To date, we have signed up over 55,000 Prime members, generating over €4.4m in subscription fees.” But he added: “However, our Prime members have received over €6m in fare discounts, so this trial has cost more money than it generates” and “does not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales.”
As Europe’s largest airline by passenger number, Ryanair is framing the U-turn as a doubling down on its core mission as a budget carrier: “With over 207 million passengers this year, Ryanair will continue to focus on delivering the lowest fares in Europe to all our customers, and not this subset of 55,000 Prime members,” Brady said.
@insideoursuitcase Ryanair Prime. No, it’s not a joke ha! Budget airline Ryanair has launched a new exclusive membership called Ryanair Prime. The membership costs £79 a year and includes a range of benefits – but, is it worth it? #RyanairPrime #Ryanair ♬ original sound – Inside Our Suitcase
Despite being dismissed as a “subset,” existing members of the Prime scheme will be glad to know the savings and deals available to them will continue through to the end of their current membership period. Brady confirmed this, saying the airline is “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.”
Meanwhile, low-cost rival easyJet’s loyalty programme shows no signs of flagging – perhaps thanks to its more book-balancing price point and offer than Ryanair’s now-defunct scheme. For £249 (€219), passengers benefit from more flexibility on schedule changes, speedy boarding, and premium seat access.
