Delta Air Lines has been working with AI pricing company Fetcherr for months, but the partnership made headlines recently with consumers (and members of the U.S. Senate) questioning the ethics of personalized pricing.

In a late-July letter addressed to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, Senators Ruben Gallego (Arizona), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Mark Warner (Virginia) voiced concern about “prices that are tailored to an individual consumer’s willingness to pay,” and that fact that “surveillance pricing” often uses private personal information, from web browsing behavior to social media activity. Delta denies that personal data is used in its Fetcherr-assisted fares.

Our Analysis: Advisors Will Want to Keep Tabs on Pricing Practices, Educate Clients About Them and Possibly Advocate for Fairness and Transparency.

AI-driven pricing is already changing the way air fares are displayed and sold; as of last month, Delta says it used AI to determine 3% of fares, and that it intends to grow that number to 20% by the end of this year.

RELATED: Do Travelers Trust AI for Their Trip Planning? Plus Other Travel Trends From Justfly.com Data

Travel advisors who book air on behalf of clients will want to stay up to date on dynamic pricing processes and keep their clients well informed on how the market is changing. And, if questions around fairness and privacy linger, the travel trade, including the American Society of Travel Advisors, may need to come together to advocate for transparency and pricing practices that better protect consumers and the agents who serve them.

What They Are Saying: AI-Pricing May Lower Incentive to Provide Good Service

“Pricing based on AI algorithms will no doubt increase revenues for Delta,” wrote U.S. senators Gallego, Blumenthal and Warner. “At Delta’s investor event last November, one investor celebrated the ability to set prices that matched every passenger’s ‘personal demand curve.’ However, with respect to the interests of Delta’s passengers, there is a danger that this approach will result in higher fares and diminish incentives to improve service.”

Image by Author | Ideogram

# Once Upon a Time…

 
Data storytelling can be defined as the process of communicating insights from data through a compelling and structured narrative, turning raw figures and analytics into meaningful, captivating, and actionable stories. Data storytelling plays a crucial role in organizational and business decision-making, serving as a cornerstone in strategic planning, data-driven innovation, and enhanced customer experience. But what is the secret behind the effectiveness of data storytelling? Without a doubt, data visualization is what makes data stories engaging, accessible to the audience, and actionable for decision-makers.

This article introduces and discusses four key reasons why data visualization is essential in data storytelling: simplifying complex information, discovering hidden patterns, fostering engagement and impact, and supporting informed decisions.

# Making Sense of Complex Data

 
The first reason for data visualization’s significance in data storytelling is a stark reality: real-world data is often complex and overwhelming. The right visualization simplifies this complexity, allowing the audience to focus on what matters.

For example, in the retail industry, instead of presenting a dense table full of sales figures per store, a sales dashboard centered around a heatmap with colors associated with sales levels enables easy identification of high-performing stores at a glance.

# Uncovering Insights: Pattern and Trend Discovery

 
Visualizations are one of the best ways to reveal hidden insights that might not be obvious in raw data.

Customer analysis is a prime example that illustrates this principle. A line chart representing seasonal customer patterns can not only help detect trends or changes in customer behavior but also uncover important risks, such as customer churn, if declining trends are found.

Moreover, in churn analysis, visualizing overall churn rates can help identify seasons when churn is more common. This makes it easier to identify why more customers might be abandoning your brand during certain periods.

# Causing a Lasting Impression: Engagement and Impact

 
Compelling visuals within a data story are ideal for enhancing audience engagement and communicating key insights more effectively. Visualizations also drive emotional and memorable impact in various ways, drawing attention, simplifying complex information, and making insights easier to remember. In sum, transforming raw numbers into a compelling narrative centered around visualizations yields key messages that resonate with stakeholders and call them to action.

Take social media analysis as an example. Analyzing social media campaigns through a table of word frequencies associated with terms or hashtags could quickly put your stakeholders to sleep, whereas a colorful word cloud of top-performing keywords will make a sufficient impact, not only by conveying useful conclusions for discussing user engagement strategies but also by being more stimulating than a full cup of espresso.

# Driving Data-Driven Action: Decision Support

 
On a final note, data visualization helps stakeholders make informed data-driven decisions efficiently and with more confidence. 

This is evident in sectors like logistics, in supply chain optimization, where a geographical map that displays delivery times across different regions of operation can help identify inefficiencies and make effective decisions accordingly, both operational and strategic.

# Wrapping Up

 
The undeniable importance of data visualization in storytelling is based on several reasons, from simplifying complex data to engaging the audience to guiding informed decisions. This article discussed four key reasons why visualizations are an essential component of effective and successful data storytelling processes in businesses and organizations.
 
 

Iván Palomares Carrascosa is a leader, writer, speaker, and adviser in AI, machine learning, deep learning & LLMs. He trains and guides others in harnessing AI in the real world.

Booking.com has unveiled The Global AI Sentiment Report, a major new study exploring how consumers across 33 markets perceive and interact with artificial intelligence in everyday life and travel.

Drawing on responses from over 37,000 people, the report paints a complex picture: while excitement around AI is high, concerns about trust, transparency, and human oversight remain key barriers to broader adoption.

High interest, low trust

Globally, 91% of respondents to booking.com survey said they are excited about Artificial Intelligence. 89% expressed interest in using AI tools for future travel planning. However, only 6% reported fully trusting AI. 42% declared to always fact-check AI outputs, while 29% do so sometimes. Just 12% feel comfortable with AI making decisions without human input, and 10% are strongly opposed to it. Most consumers appear to value AI more as a support tool than a replacement for human judgment.

Booking.com report categorizes consumers into distinct groups: 36% are “AI Enthusiasts” intrigued by the technology’s potential, 13% are “AI Advocates” who champion its responsible adoption.

However, this excitement coexists also with significant caution. While 25% are “AI Detractors,” showing active resistance. Another 13% are “AI Cautious,” expressing reservations about its growing influence.

While 91% acknowledge at least one benefit—such as time-saving (51%), improved productivity (40%), or learning support (48%)—an equal percentage also reported at least one concern.

Regional gaps in trust and AI recognition

Regional variation reshapes Artificial Intelligence perception from one continent to another. Latin America (LATAM) leads in AI positivity, with 98% of respondents excited about the technology and 89% saying they understand how it works. Asia-Pacific (ASPAC) follows closely with 95% in excitement feeling and 82% being familiar with IA. ASPAC users have a widespread daily integration of AI, especially in transport and education.

Globally, while 77% have at least some trust in AI, nearly a quarter (23%) rarely or never trust information generated by it. It is particularly high in North America (NORAM) and Europe & the Middle East (EME). The two regions show higher distrust with 32% and 29% of respondents respectively feeling cautious at AI-generated information. Consumers here are highlighting a broader demand for transparency and reassurance as adoption grows.

In the travel sector, AI is already widely used. Two-thirds of respondents have relied on AI for trip planning, booking, or in-destination assistance. Travelers primarily use AI to research destinations (38%), find cultural experiences (37%), and get restaurant tips (36%). Once on the ground, translation tools (45%) and navigation help (40%) are the most common applications. Photo editing tops AI usage post-trip.

The report also highlights growing demand for ethical AI. A majority of travelers (71%) value tools that help avoid crowds, and 60% want Artificial Intelligence to prioritize experiences that support local communities.

“Generative AI represents one of the most significant technological shifts of our era. It fundamentally reshapes how consumers engage with the world around them, ” says James Waters, Chief Business Officer at Booking.com. “But beyond innovation, our focus must be on transparency, trust, and responsibility as we move into the next chapter of travel technology.”

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