RYANAIR will not moved forward with a planned subscription service saying it was too expensive.
The budget airline launched a trial of the subscription service in March which offered fee-paying passengers discounts on fares.
But it today revealed it was scraping the scheme, revealing that it was costing more money than it was bringing in.
The Ryanair ‘Prime’ membership cost £79 for 12 months, which worked out to £6.60 per month.
Ryanair revealed the program had signed up 55,000 subscribers which had generated £3.8 million in subscription fees, but had doled out £5.3 million in fare discounts.
“This trial has cost more money than it generates,” Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said in a statement.
“This level of memberships, or subscription revenue does not justify the time and effort it takes to launch monthly exclusive Prime seat sales.”
While the Prime service ended today, the 55,000 members would be able to continue using their subscription for the 12-month period for which they’d paid.
The scheme allowed members who flew 12 times per year to save hundreds on hidden fees, such as reserved seats and travel insurance.
Members were also be granted access to exclusive seat sales, giving them the best deals on flights throughout the year.
According to the low-cost airline, Prime members who flew 12 times per year saved up to £420, more than five times the subscription fee.
And members who flew three times a year with the airline still saved £105 through the new scheme.
Ryanair is not the only budget airline with a membership scheme.
Wizz Air launched its ‘All You Can Fly’ membership, allowing unlimited flights for a yearly fee last year.
The Wizz Air membership costs £500 for an entire year, with 50 routes across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia included in the scheme.
Wizz Air ‘All You Can Fly’ members still have to pay a £9 booking fee for each flight taken as well as other fees like carry-on luggage and checked baggage.
