'We've got to be cautious that we don't become creepy' - Delta wants to do more with customers' data without violating their privacy

• Delta's CEO wants to do more with customers' data without violating their privacy or making them uncomfortable.
• The airline could use data to better understand its customers, personalize its communications and service, and track how flyers rated their experiences, Ed Bastian said at its investor day this month.
• "We've got to be cautious that we don't become creepy or we don't be seen to be a stalker," Delta's boss said.
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Delta's CEO wants to do more with customers' data without violating their privacy or making them uncomfortable.

"There's no question that there's great insight in the data that we can glean and there's no question that we're not utilizing a lot of that insight at present," Edward Bastian, the airline's boss, said at its investor day this month.

However, "We've got to be cautious that we don't become creepy or we don't be seen to be a stalker," he said. "We're doing this at scale with high-value customers, and we just want to be careful."

Delta could leverage data to better understand its customers, personalize its communications and service, and track how flyers rated their experiences, whether something went wrong such as a missed connection, and any actions it took to make amends, Bastian said.

He highlighted a few household names that excel at collecting customers' data and using it to tailor products and services and build strong relationships.

"We can learn from the Amazons, the Starbucks and many others that are a little ahead of us on this journey," Bastian said.

Delta gained an edge over its rivals this year by choosing the Airbus A321neo over the troubled Boeing 737 Max, which Boeing will temporarily stop producing in January after two fatal crashes led to regulators grounding the model.

"It was a close call," Bastian told analysts in July. "We spent quite a few months analyzing and going back and forth."

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