07/04/2003 - Experimental scheme introduces online booking on a first-come-cheapest-ticket basis in Milton Keynes

Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s budget airline company, Easy Jet, will launch its first low-cost cinema concept: EasyCinema in May at The Point, a ten-screen multiplex situated in Milton Keynes, central England.
According to a statement issued by the group last Friday, EasyCinema will capitalise on the core EasyGroup strengths of yield management and online distribution, which means that the earlier a customer books a ticket, the cheaper it will be. The cheapest cinema ticket price will cost 20p (Euros0.29) and the most expensive, £5 (Euros7.3) for last-minute purchases. In addition, box office desks will be abolished as most ticket sales will take place on the internet (www.easycinema.com) and the tickets purchased will have a barcode which will be passed over a scanner in the cinema, giving filmgoer direct access to the screens showing their film of choice. Although staff will be onsite to ensure the safe and smooth running of the business, staffing numbers will be drastically reduced thanks to the absence of box offices and the automated entry system.
According to EasyCinema, the Milton Keynes cinema -an historic site as it was the first multiplex to open in the UK in 1985 - represents “an ideal environment for a controlled experiment into how catchment areas and audience sizes can be increased. The lessons in Milton Keynes will prepare EasyCinema for further expansion in the UK and Europe”.

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