Ryanair ends its Prime membership program

On Nov. 28, Ryanair announced that people can no longer sign up for its Prime membership loyalty program, according to Euronews.

The company decided to roll back its loyalty initiative eight months after the launch in March due to high costs. The airline reported that the program brought in over €4.4 million from membership fees but it gave out more than €6 million in fare discounts, so it was not financially sustainable.

The program was designed for frequent travelers and offered perks like free reserved seats, travel insurance and monthly special seat deals for €79 per year.

As Ryanair Chief Marketing Officer Dara Brady noted, the money from subscriptions was not enough to cover the cost of running monthly special offers. The airline also said that it will keep focusing on offering low fares to all passengers instead of just a small group of members.

The current 55,000 members will keep their benefits until their 12-month subscription ends, but they cannot renew after it expires. The last day to join the program was Nov. 27.