Irish budget airline Ryanair claims that members who fly three times per year will save £105. Ryanair Prime is limited to 250,000 members on a first come/first served basis
Ryanair has launched a new passenger discount scheme called ‘Prime’, which it claims could save customers hundreds of pounds.
Sharing a name with Logan Paul’s popular sugary drink, the subscriber scheme offers a discount to members who fly 12 times a year. According to Ryanair, they will save up to five times the £79 subscriber cost of the subscription. According to the airline’s announcement, Prime costs £79 for a 12-month subscription, with member benefits including reserved seats, travel insurance and access to 12 annual (one each month) member-exclusive seat sales.
This allows subscribers to “bag the best flight bargains all year-round.” Ryanair claims that members who fly three times per year will save £105. Ryanair Prime is limited to 250,000 members on a first come/first served basis.
Ryanair’s CMO, Dara Brady, said: “Ryanair has been delivering the lowest fares (and the best services) in Europe for the last four decades, and we’re now extending our price leadership with the launch of our exciting new subscriber discount scheme – Ryanair Prime.
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“Ryanair Prime is a new subscriber discount scheme for frequent flyers that want to fly regularly but don’t want to break the bank to do so. Costing a modest £79 for a full 12-month subscription, Ryanair Prime”members will benefit from access to 12 exclusive annual seat sales (one each month), free reserved seats, and free travel insurance every time they fly with Europe’s No.1 airline. This will deliver great savings of £420 for members who fly 12 times per year, but even “Prime” members who only fly 3 times per year will still save £105 – more than the £79 cost of becoming a “Prime” member.
“S o, if you like flying regularly while also saving money, then Ryanair Prime”is a no-brainer. This exciting new subscriber discount scheme is limited to just 250,000 customers on a first come/first served basis, so make sure you sign up now at ryanair.com and enjoy exclusive Ryanair “Prime” benefits for the next year.”
How it works and what you get
According to the terms and conditions for Prime on the Ryanair website, members can book a flight to use personally, to use together with their Ryanair Prime companion, or for their Ryanair [prime companion to travel independently. All Ryanair Prime bookings can only be made by the member through their myRyanair account.
Including in the membership are:
Exclusive member emails : Members will be notified regularly by email about upcoming exclusive flight sales and other relevant offers. It is not clear how discounted these flights will be.
Discounted fares : Members can book an unlimited number of flights with discounted Ryanair Prime fares, subject to availability, for themselves and, in some cases, their companion.
Travel insurance : When members fly they will automatically have travel insurance coverage for all Ryanair Group (Ryanair DAC, Ryanair UK, Buzz, Lauda and Malta Air) flights, subject to a few T&Cs. Ryanair lists its insurance as costing from £15.
Seat reservation : Members may make up to 12 free seat reservations in designated rows on specific flights at no additional cost, subject to availability. There is no guarantee that a Member and their Ryanair Prime Companion will be able to select seats together. Reserving a seat usually costs £9.
Is it good value for money?
Ryanair has said frequent flyers could save up to £420 a year. However, it seems that a large part of that cost comes through insurance and reserved seats, which are included in the Prime membership. Insurance and reserving a seat costs £288 for 12 flights, which suggests the discount benefit from the actual airfares is £132.