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No Need For Alarm: Your Next Delta Flight Could Get a Bit More Personal

Sept. 05, 2018
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3 min read
Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300 taking off from El Prat Airport in Barcelona Spain
No Need For Alarm: Your Next Delta Flight Could Get a Bit More Personal
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I wouldn't go so far as to call Delta clairvoyant, but it's pretty darn good at forecasting. The airline has become borderline wizard-like in its ability to precisely fill each cabin to capacity, and soon, it's planning to parlay that magic into your in-flight experience.

Delta Air Lines CFO Paul Jacobson spoke today at the Cowen & Co. transportation conference, and he explained a bit about how the airline is looking to intelligently round up customer data into a "single view" of their likes, dislikes, preferences and even their prior experiences.

Hartmann luggage – a gift from Delta to those who hit 1 million miles
Hartmann luggage – a gift from Delta to those who hit 1 million miles (Photo by Darren Murph / The Points Guy)

"So when you walk on board a flight today and interact with a flight attendant, that flight attendant — they may not know the experience that you had last week or last month," Jacobson stated. "When we can unite these systems together operationally in customer service, we can actually come in and acknowledge — 'I know we failed last week, we apologize for that, here's what we can do to make it up.' That's a level of personalization that we really haven't seen before."

Why, yes – I do indeed love a Club Soda and Lime! (Photo by Darren Murph / The Points Guy)

He stopped short of detailing what user data would be collected, shared, processed and used. It's not far-fetched to assume that a data-driven company like Delta would look to operationalize some of the information it gathers when you book and board a flight. Travel profiles already include things like aisle or window preference, whether you want a special meal and how many miles you've racked up over the course of your life. Go a level deeper, and it's not hard to envision a carrier analyzing things like how far out you typically book travel, what fare classes you typically select, what extras you typically pay for, how many bags you typically check, and what pre-departure beverage you typically request.

Delta passengers getting settled on a Boeing 767 from Detroit to Munich (Photo by Darren Murph / The Points Guy)

For high-spending Medallion elites, there's even a department within Delta that monitors tight connections, and if they deem suitable, they'll send over a Porsche to whisk you directly from one flight to another. The more a carrier knows about you, the more it's able to proactively serve you.

As flights continue to depart with every seat filled, less legroom and pitch, tighter lavatories and higher bag fees, it makes sense to see a carrier looking to data in order to provide a more personalized experience. Battling the "cattle car" stereotype is no easy feat, but it sounds as if Delta's flight attendants may soon be armed with intel to make their interactions with you a little more personal.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.