Qantas begins preparing and equipping planes for return of international flights in Sydney
Qantas begins preparing and equipping planes for return of international flights in Sydney

Qantas Airways is facing disgruntled customers after a mobile app glitch exposed sensitive travel information. The technical error led to the people being able to view other passengers' names, flight details, and even frequent flyer points balance.

Qantas attributed the data leak to a recent system update, assuring users it wasn't a security breach. However, the incident rattled investors. The possible harm to the airline's reputation and customer base was reflected in the sharp tumble of 1.2% in the share price of the airline on Wednesday, CNBC reported.

"At this stage, there is no indication of a cyber security incident," the airline said in a statement to ABC.net.au. "We sincerely apologize to customers impacted by the issue with the Qantas app Wednesday morning, which has now been resolved."

"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," they said.

Qantas flyer Josh Withers from Hobart experienced the app glitch firsthand. He opened the app and saw the data of another person instead of his own, including their name and boarding ticket. This occurrence, which revealed private passenger information and raised worries about traveler privacy, demonstrates the true significance of the issue, according to ABC.net.au.

The airline assured customers even though they could see other users' information, they couldn't abuse it. There were no reports of Qantas points being lost or mistaken boarding as a result of the problem. The airline advised customers to just log out and back into their accounts as a temporary workaround, per CNBC.

The incident comes after some Spanish airline Air Europa experienced compromised customers' credit card information die to an unprecedented data breach. They notify banks and those harmed, but it is unclear how many people were impacted and how much money was lost. Air Europa said there hasn't been any fraud yet, but they advise canceling cards. A consumer advocacy organization raises concerns about the delay, pointing to a larger problem and the possibility of past fraud.