A major European budget carrier is shutting down its new perks program after just eight months—because members figured out how to make it way too valuable.
Market leader Ryanair confirmed it’s closing Prime, its loyalty subscription, despite more than 55,000 passengers signing up for the plan, which promised flight discounts, free reserved seats on up to 12 flights a year and built-in travel insurance.
The issue? The math stopped mathing.
Prime brought in €4.4 million ($5.1 million) in subscription fees, but members received over €6 million ($7 million) in benefits—meaning the airline was effectively paying customers to use it. Not exactly a sustainable model.
“This trial has cost more money than it generates,” said Dara Brady, Ryanair’s chief marketing officer. He added that the subscription revenue simply didn’t justify the effort required to run monthly exclusive seat sales for Prime’s members.
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Launched in February for £79 or €79 a year ($92 a year), Prime was designed for frequent travelers who know how to maximize a deal. With seat fees typically running £4.50 to £38, members could save anywhere from £54 to £456 a year—essentially getting several low-fare flights for free if they hit the program’s 12-flight benefit cap.
The membership automatically renewed every 12 months, and Ryanair says current members will still receive their perks through the end of their paid year.
A Rare Move in a Trend of More Upsells
While most airlines are busy slicing features apart and repackaging them as add-ons—priority boarding here, non-middle seats there—Ryanair’s decision to offer bundled savings stood out. If anything, carriers have been leaning harder into à-la-carte pricing, not pulling back.
Ryanair’s “creativity” with costs isn’t new, though; it’s woven into the airline’s DNA. Since the early 2000s, the carrier has built its reputation—and 200-million-passengers-a-year empire—on rock-bottom base fares paired with à-la-carte everything—from early checked-bag charges to fees for seat selection, airport check-in and even printing a boarding pass.
The model was controversial at first, but it reshaped European aviation and helped popularize pay-for-what-you-use pricing worldwide. U.S. airlines, including Delta and American, later adopted similar tactics, and even Southwest has slowly added more fees and restrictions over time.
Related: Southwest Airlines Changes Longtime Boarding Method, Frustrating Passengers Yet Again
What Prime Members Should Expect Now
Ryanair says it will shift back to offering fare sales to all passengers, rather than reserving exclusive discounts for Prime subscribers. Existing members will still enjoy “exclusive low-fare offers” through October 2026, but the program is now closed to anyone who didn’t enroll before November 28, 2025.
If one thing's for certain, Prime may be disappearing, but if history is a guide, a version of its benefits will likely re-emerge… just repackaged, unbundled and sold à la carte.
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