Ryanair launches programme to enable passengers in France to save on frequent travel
Passengers who fly at least once per month could save over €400, airline claims
There are a limited number of memberships available
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Low-cost carrier Ryanair has launched a new subscriber programme, offering discounts and bonuses to frequent flyers.
Dubbed ‘Ryanair Prime’, the €79 (or £79 – prices are the same in both currencies) annual plan can save those who fly at least 12 times per year with the airline around €420/£420, some five times the price of the subscription, Ryanair says.
However, anyone can purchase the subscription if they wish with Ryanair stating someone who takes only three trips a year could still save over €100.
Benefits include:
Limit on membership numbers
The programme is limited to 250,000 members.
It is available to customers based in France and the UK, as well as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
The airline’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dara Brady, called the subscription “a no brainer” for frequent flyers in a company press release, which can be seen here.
Children not included
Looking at the small print there are some potential issues with the deal.
Not all seats will be included in the "free seat selection" and Ryanair has so far not released information about which seats these will be. Anyone wanting more expensive seats would still need to pay extra.
Those with a prime plan will not be able to add non-prime flyers on the same booking unless they are children under two, which could complicate family or friends bookings.
This also means families may have to make more than one booking, as children under 18 cannot become prime plan members.
While prime members will be able to add a child under two to their booking, this child will not be covered by the "free travel insurance" included in the prime plan.
So the plan appears to be more suited to adult travellers who are frequent fliers on Ryanair, do not mind which "free" seats they get, and do not travel with children.
Ryanair is not the first budget airline in Europe to introduce such a scheme, with Hungarian counterpart WizzAir offering an ‘all you can fly’ deal.
Read more: Budget airline’s €499 ‘all you can fly’ year deal includes UK-France flights
Travellers flying to/from France may be more reluctant to sign up to the plan than previously, however, with the threat of Ryanair axing services to several French regional airports.
Read more: Cheap flights to France at risk after Ryanair writes to airports
