Privacy scare as users report Qantas app glitch

Qantas is investigating an issue with its app that has apparently given customers access to the personal information and accounts of other people, prompting concerns over data privacy.

Beginning about 9am on Wednesday morning, users on social media began reporting the issue, and posting screenshots showing unfamiliar boarding passes and customer details. One person claimed they could change someone else’s seat and transfer their frequent flyer points.

“Left lounge to board flight and my app just spewed out all these boarding passes for people I’ve never heard of,” said another.

“Good thing I got a hard copy!”

The cause and extent of the issue isn’t currently known, and neither is the potential impact on boarding or on people’s data, as Qantas has only given brief statements.

“We’re urgently working to resolve the issue impacting the Qantas app this morning and we sincerely apologise to our customers who have been impacted,” the airline said in its most recent statement at 10.15am.

“We’re investigating whether this issue may have been caused by recent system changes. We recommend that customers log out and log in to their Qantas Frequent Flyer account on the Qantas App.”

Similar issues have occurred in other apps before, including those belonging to banks, Mercedes Benz and US telco T-Mobile. Generally such glitches are the result of incorrectly configured technology upgrades on the company’s end, and are fixed quickly once discovered.