Ryanair has
closed its Prime subscription scheme following an eight-month trial period.
The low-cost
carrier said the existing 55,000 Prime members will have access to exclusive
monthly offers until October 2026, but no new members will be accepted.
Ryanair
chief marketing officer Dara Brady said the initiative had cost the airline
money generating more than €4.4 million in subscription fees while members
received more than €6 million in fare discounts.
The initiative
was launched in late March, offering benefits including free reserved seats,
travel insurance and monthly sales for £79. The scheme was limited to 250,000 members.
“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,”
Brady said.
Other carriers continue to have subscription schemes in
place. Alaska Airlines added a club-style program to its existing Flight Pass
scheme last year while Air Asia revamped its existing scheme. A number of airlines, including Saudia, have partnered with travel technology company Caravelo to
offer subscription services.