In an effort to increase personalized service, British Airways has introduced the ‘Know Me’ program which give airlines staff members the authority and the tools to search online for passenger information.

Using iPads, staff members search through a list of that day’s passenger names for images on Google so that they can recognize them as they enter the airport or the plane. Their name is then used by the employees so that they are greeted and recognized personally. In addition to using the iPads to search for images, the staff can search for other information about the customer including their travel history and any past complaints.

British Airways maintains that their goal is to deal with customer complaints more effectively. As reported in the Telegraph, the British Airways program must comply with UK privacy laws. Assuming the program does comply with privacy laws, the question is do we think British Airways employees should be googling their passengers in an effort to provide better customer service? Is this comforting to think that they care to learn about us or just a tad creepy?