Ryanair to scrap 'Prime' subscription as programme 'costs more money than it generates'

55,000 customers had signed up to the service since March

Ryanair CMO Dara Brady said the level of Prime memberships or subscription revenue 'did not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales for our 55,000 Prime members.' Picture: Brian Lougheed

Ryanair announced on Friday it will close its Prime membership offering after confirming the programme "cost more money than it generates".

Prime launched as a subscription service in March on a first-come first-served basis targeting 250,000 customers but the airline only received 55,000 take-up over the period. Prime was aimed at frequent flyers, costing €79 a year and giving members benefits such as reserved seats at no additional cost, travel insurance, and access to 12 annual member-exclusive seat sales occur once a month.