Ryanair admits ‘Prime’ subscription was loss-making

Ryanair has confirmed that it will not admit any additional members to its Prime subscription service, conceding that the scheme was loss-making during the eight-month trial period.

On November 28, 2025, Ryanair said that from today, it will close any new signups for its Prime membership scheme following an eight-month trial period that resulted in 55,000 members. Existing subscribers will continue enjoying discounted fares until October 2026, it added.

According to Dara Brady, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Ryanair, while its customers have asked for a membership scheme for years, the trial, which resulted in 55,000 signups, was loss-making for the low-cost carrier.

During the first eight months of Prime, Ryanair generated revenues from subscription fees of €4.4 million ($5 million), yet members got over €6 million ($6.9 million) in fare discounts, “so this trial has cost more money than it generates,” Brady explained.

“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 thanked the 55,000 members who signed up for the subscription service, assuring that they will continue enjoying exclusive discounts for the remainder of their membership.

“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.”

Ryanair launched Prime in March, saying that the subscription would allow members to enjoy such benefits as “free reserved seats, free travel insurance, and access to 12 annual (1 each month) member-exclusive seat sales, ensuring that ‘Prime’ members bag the best flight bargains all year-round.”

Members paid £79 ($104) for a 12-month subscription, with the low-cost carrier saying that Prime was limited to 250,000 members, a number it had not reached before the airline shut it down.

At the time, it estimated that customers who fly 12 times per year would save up to £420 ($554.8). Even passengers flying three times per year could save up to £105 ($138.7), offsetting the cost of being a Prime member.

Back then, Brady explained that Prime was “a new subscriber discount scheme for frequent flyers that want to fly regularly but don’t want to break the bank to do so.”

“So, if you like flying regularly while also saving money, then Ryanair ‘Prime' is a no-brainer.”

However, Ryanair was not the first low-cost carrier to introduce a membership scheme in Europe. In August 2024, Wizz Air launched an annual subscription marketed as ‘All You Can Fly.’ For €499 ($576.9) per year, passengers can pay a flat €9.99 ($11.45) fee and fly anywhere within Wizz Air’s international network.

There are caveats. For one, travelers can only book flights 72 hours and three hours before the itinerary’s scheduled departure time, excludes domestic flights in Italy, does not include any guarantees if Wizz Air stops flying from your airport, and, for example, blocks passengers from booking flights if enough ‘All You Can Fly’ members have already chosen the same itinerary.

On October 29, Wizz Air opened a third wave of ‘All You can Fly’ subscriptions for 10,000 customers, saying that the new phase followed “demand for the membership to-date.” The carrier said since the launch of the pass, “subscribers have flown an average of nine times each per year.”

Wizz Air also has the Discount Club subscription service. For €59.99 ($69.35) or €349.99 ($404.58) per year, customers receive access to exclusive discounts, including for such services as checked-in baggage.

The more expensive option, Discount Club Premium, also provides two free cabin bags, priority boarding, and unlimited premium seat selection.