Ryanair has launched an exclusive discount scheme for frequent flyers that will unlock perks on seats and travel insurance.

The Irish budget carrier is set to save its most loyal passengers even more on their flights with its new subscriber discount scheme called “Prime”.

Prime will allow members who fly 12 times per year to save up to five times the amount that the subscription costs with its perks.

Costing £79 for a 12-month subscription, members will benefit from reserving seats for free, free travel insurance and access to 12 annual (one per month) member-exclusive seat sales.

Members will receive regular emails about upcoming exclusive flight sales and relevant offers, and can book an unlimited number of flights with the discounted Prime fares.

The airline said that Prime members who fly 12 times per year will save up to £420, while members who only fly three times annually could still see savings of £105.

However, the new subscription is limited to 250,000 passengers on a first-come, first-served basis, so aspiring members will need to sign up on its website before the spaces fill.

Ryanair’s chief marketing officer, 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’.”

“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,” he added.

The airline added that for those who travel frequently with Ryanair, the new service is a “no-brainer”.

Passengers who sign up for Ryanair Prime must be at least 18 years old, and at this time, is only offered to people resident in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, UK, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Last year, Wizz Air launched a similar scheme, allowing customers to book a maximum of 72 hours in advance as a standby deal with a flat price of €9.99 (£8.30) for each flight, plus fees for any extras like baggage.

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