Ryanair Pulls the Plug on Its New Loyalty Program After Costs Outrun Revenues

Just eight months after unveiling its first-ever loyalty program, Ryanair has abruptly shut it down, saying the numbers simply didn’t add up. The subscription service—called Ryanair Prime—was meant to be a bold new experiment for the famously no-frills airline. Instead, it turned into a costly trial that delivered more value to customers than it brought back to the company.

Ryanair revealed on Friday that over 55,000 customers signed up for Prime, generating more than €4.4 million in membership fees. But those same members received benefits worth nearly €6 million during the eight-month period, mainly through discounted fares—meaning the airline was giving away more than it earned.

Chief Marketing Officer Dara Brady acknowledged the imbalance, noting that the limited subscriber base didn’t justify the effort required to run monthly exclusive sales. In his words, “The trial has cost more money than it generates,” pushing the airline to shift its discount strategy toward all customers rather than a small subset of Prime members.

Interestingly, CEO Michael O’Leary had previously admitted he was initially skeptical about launching Prime but was eventually convinced. Earlier this year, he expected Prime to bring in roughly €2.5 million in fees. Looking back, he said the only major misstep was the pricing—suggesting the subscription should have been closer to €99 instead of €79.

While Ryanair steps away, competitors like Wizz Air are pushing forward. Wizz’s €499 “All You Can Fly” pass recently saw an expansion in available memberships, signaling a very different approach to loyalty in the budget travel space.

For now, existing Prime members are safe—they’ll continue receiving all their promised perks for the rest of their 12-month subscription. However, Ryanair has stopped accepting new sign-ups effective immediately.

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger volume, recently upgraded its full-year traffic forecast to 207 million passengers—crediting better-than-expected aircraft deliveries from Boeing. Even with the Prime experiment ending early, the carrier appears set on strengthening its overall network rather than leaning on subscription-based loyalty programs.

What Was Ryanair Prime?

Prime was priced at €79 per year and bundled discounted fares, free reserved seating on up to 12 trips, and travel insurance—an unusual move for a company built on bare-minimum service and pay-as-you-go extras. At launch, the airline capped membership at 250,000 people, but the final sign-up numbers fell far short of that target.