Qantas apologises, reveals full extent of app privacy breach

The airline is urgently investigating.
The airline is urgently investigating. Photo credit: Getty Images

Qantas has apologised to customers after an update to its app allowed users to see strangers' personal details. 

On Wednesday morning the Australian airline revealed it was "urgently working to resolve the issue", recommended customers log out of their accounts and be aware of scams. 

In an update issued in the afternoon, Qantas said the issue is now been resolved. A spokesperson said investigations suggest recent system changes might be the reason for the glitch. 

"We sincerely apologise to customers impacted by the issue with the Qantas app this morning, which has now been resolved," they said. 

"Current investigations indicate that it was caused by a technology issue and may have been related to recent system changes.

"At this stage, there is no indication of a cyber security incident."

The spokesperson said the issue was isolated to the Qantas app and meant some frequent flyers could see travel information of other customers, including name, upcoming flight details, points balance and status. 

"No further personal or financial information was shared and customers would not have been able to transfer or use the Qantas Points of other frequent flyers. We’re not aware of any customers travelling with incorrect boarding passes," they added. 

One affected flyer told ABC when he logged into the app he was greeted by a message with a different person's name.  

"It said, 'Hi Sam' and I instantly noticed [that] Sam had a lot more Qantas points than I did," Josh Withers told the outlet.  

Withers said each time he reopened it, a new customer's details appeared.