Ryanair’s VIP ‘Prime’ Club Backfired Spectacularly: Customers Saved €6 Million In Just Six Months So They Killed It
- Ryanair killed its first ever foray into frequent flyer clubs when a small number of customers used it so aggressively they cost the airline €1.6 Million in eight months.
Ryanair has abandoned its first-ever attempt at a premium membership scheme for frequent flyers after members cost the low-cost airline €1.6 million (US $1.85 million) in just eight months as they snapped up big discounts on flight bookings.
The Dublin-based carrier first announced its premium subscription service dubbed Prime in March. Along with offering members free seat selection and travel insurance, the scheme also included access to exclusive monthly fare sales.
Unlike traditional frequent flyer programs, which reward passengers simply for traveling with one airline enough, Ryanair Prime required travelers to pay a membership fee of €79 or £79 for customers in the UK (US $91.50) for a yearly membership.
“We have won over 55,000 Prime members and thus earned over €4.4 million in membership fees… However, our Prime members received over €6 million in discounts.”
Dara Brady – Ryanair’s chief commercial officer
Despite what appeared to be rather limited benefits, Ryanair claimed that passengers who flew at least once a month could save at least €420 per year, and the airline’s chief marketing officer, Dara Brady, described the new Prime subscription as a “no-brainer” for frequent flyers.
It turns out that some frequent flyers were quick to realize the benefits of Ryanair’s Prime membership, aggressively using the monthly fare sales and making it so successful that the airline is now going to ditch the scheme.
Now, describing the subscription model as a test all along, Ryanair closed the Prime service to new members on Friday after just 55,000 people signed up to the program.
Those 55,000 passengers, however, appear to have gotten their money’s worth out of Ryanair Prime.
“To date, we have won over 55,000 Prime members and thus earned over €4.4 million in membership fees,” Brady explained. “However, our Prime members received over €6 million in discounts, so this test cost more money than it brought in.”
“These membership numbers or revenue from membership fees do not justify the time and effort involved in introducing monthly exclusive Prime seat sales for our 55,000 Prime members,” Brady added.
Ryanair had initially limited membership to its Prime service to 250,000 people on a first-come, first-served basis, and clearly expected to reach that cap pretty quickly. Eight months later, the airline has struggled to reach even a quarter of that initial membership target.
Perhaps one of the reasons behind that lacklustre reaction to Ryanair Prime was that many passengers couldn’t justify the annual subscription for the perceived benefits that it offered.
And while the 55,000 Prime members who did sign up clearly did get plenty of fare-saving benefits, it may well be that Ryanair would be better off charging a larger annual fee for a membership that has a wider range of tangible benefits.
Ryanair’s big orange rival, EasyJet, offers its EasyJet Plus annual subscription at a much more expensive £249 or €289 but with a slew of benefits, including fast track security at select airports, ‘speedy’ boarding, premium seat selection, and a large cabin bag included in the fare.
How Ryanair Prime stacks up against EasyJet Plus
| Ryanair Prime | EasyJet Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Free seat selection | Yes | Yes |
| Priority boarding | No | Yes |
| Fast-track security | No | Yes (select airports) |
| Dedicated check-in | No | Yes |
| Cabin baggage | No | Yes |
| Same-day flight change | No | Yes |
| Food discount | No | Yes |
Members also get a 10% discount on purchases from the in-flight snack cart, and can change their flight to an earlier departure on a space-available basis for free.
It doesn’t, however, sound like Ryanair has any plans to work on a new and improved version of its membership scheme that might appeal to a wider audience, with Brady noting: “With over 207 million passengers this year, Ryanair will continue to focus on offering all our customers the lowest airfares in Europe, not just the sub-group of 55,000 Prime members.
Ryanair says it will continue to offer monthly Prime deals to members until October 2026, at which point the scheme will cease to exist.
Updated: December 1, 2025.
