How does a company map out a winning data analytics strategy? It depends on their end goals. But one thing is certain: no data set is pure rubbish. Even trifles of customer information can morph into an improved product or service. Take the airline industry, for example. 

“You need to know everything,” said Phil Wood (pictured, right), director of IT service delivery at EasyJet Airline Co. Ltd., a European airline. “We know that we sell 170 million bacon sandwiches a year. Whether that’s useful or not … ?” 

It would not surprise Wood if it produced some valuable insight through the airline’s data-analytics program. “Every day, we’re coming up with new ideas or new bits of information that, at the time, we never thought we needed to know, but that actually turns out to be an absolutely crucial part of our offer.” 

EasyJet is using data for everything from improving customer experiences to predictive airplane maintenance.

Wood and Matt Leonard (pictured, left), head of cloud, EMEA, at CenturyLink Inc., spoke with John Walls (@JohnWalls21), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, and guest host Justin Warren (@jpwarren), chief analyst at PivotNine Pty Ltd, during AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas. They discussed how EasyJet continually improves service through data analytics. (* Disclosure below.)

Above and beyond frequent flyer miles

CenturyLink, in combination with VMware Inc. for secure cloud networking, gave customer EasyJet its Catalyst Award for innovative digital transformation.

“One of the approaches that we take through a program called CustomerLink is put the customer right in the center of the team,” Leonard said. In many cases, that really entails putting the customer’s customer at the center. 

With assistance from CenturyLink’s cloud services, EasyJet has come up with novel data-driven experiences for flyers. One is an application feature that plans an entire trip in one tap. Users enter any amount of money they’re willing to spend and receive an itinerary, complete with a flight to a particular city, a hotel, and an event to attend.

Wood sees vast potential for data to transform the airline industry. For one thing, its loyalty programs could be made a lot more enticing to customers.

“It’s no longer just a case of air miles,” Wood said. “People want speedier boarding, or they want a better experience, better seating arrangements.” 

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AWS re:Invent. (* Disclosure: CenturyLink Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither CenturyLink nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE