Airlines have your personal data, and they're using it

Airlines are really good at some things - like people movement, aircraft maintenance, and keeping passengers safe. They're also experts at collecting vast mountains of customer data, including what sorts of credit cards and computers you use, how often you fly, and where and how much you spend on all the extras. If you're stressing over a tight connection, flight attendants can usually tell you which gate to run toward, how much time you have, and whether your next flight is on time. But they may also know if you were stuck in Buffalo for six hours last week because of a delay, and offer a personal apology. The swankiest hotels have long employed this strategy: If you feel special and loved, maybe you'll come back. Now the airlines have jumped on the bandwagon. The industry has long envisioned a day when it could make use of all the information it's accumulated on you. That data has traditionally been segregated in various IT systems, but now many airlines are gradually funnelling it into a customer service strategy-with flight attendants becoming the face of hyper-personalised service. "We have enough data about who you are, where you fly, and more importantly, over the last period of time when we've delayed you, canceled you, made you change your seat, spilled coffee on you-we have the points of failure and the points of success," Oscar Munoz, CE of United Continental Holdings, said Nov. 9 at a conference. "I think our customers need better service and better personalisation today. And that's what we're focusing on." But as they probe these new capabilities, some carriers are confronting a nettlesome question: How much personal data can be used to enhance customer service before slipping into the "too much information" realm, where a traveller may feel uncomfortable?<br/>