Ryanair launches new ‘prime’ membership which saves passengers more than £400 a year

BUDGET airline Ryanair has launched a new membership scheme, which could save some passengers hundreds of pounds on hidden fees.

The new ‘Prime' membership with Ryanair costs £79 for 12 months, working out to £6.60 per month.

The scheme allows members who fly 12 times per year to save hundreds on hidden fees, such as reserved seats and travel insurance.

Members will 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 fly 12 times per year will save up to £420, more than five times the subscription fee.

And members who fly three times a year with the airline can still save £105 through the new scheme.

The Ryanair Prime membership is limited to 250,000 members who sign up on a first come/first served basis via the airline's website.

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'.

“So, 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.”

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.

At the end of last year, British Airways overhauled its loyalty scheme, angering some of its customers.

Other changes are also underway at Ryanair, with the low-cost airline scrapping the need for digital boarding passes later this year.

The airline plans to go paperless from November 3, which means passengers will only be able to get a digital boarding pass.

Check-in desks will not be able to print out boarding passes at the airport.

The move also means the much-hated boarding pass fee will be scrapped, which can see tourists charged £55 at the airport to print it if they forget.

Brits flying to destinations like Morocco or Turkey will still need a physical copy of their boarding pass because it gets stamped at the airport.

Meanwhile, here are all the £15 flights Ryanair is launching this year.

These are our travel team’s best tips for flying with budget airlines from ‘free’ legroom seats to cheap food hacks.