The Associated Press
BOSTON 鈥� The hack of a company that manages ticket-processing and frequent-flier data for major global airlines 鈥� including Star Alliance and OneWorld members 鈥� has compromised the personal data of an unspecified number of travellers.
The hackers were able to access some computer systems at Atlanta-based SITA Passenger Service System for up to a month before the incident鈥檚 seriousness was confirmed on Feb. 24, a spokesman for the company鈥檚 Geneva-based parent company said.
The spokesman, Sandro Hofer, would not say how many airlines were affected 鈥� SITA says it serves more than 400 and is industry-owned. The company said that Singapore Airlines, New Zealand Air and Lufthansa were among those affected.
鈥淭he extent to which (frequent flyer alliances鈥�) individual airlines were affected varies from airline to airline,鈥� SITA said in a statement.
It said Malaysia Airlines, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific had either issued statements or reached out to frequent-flyer members about the hack.
United Airlines said separately that the only customer data potentially accessed were names, frequent-flyer numbers and program status. It recommended in an email that frequent-flyer customers should change their account passwords 鈥渙ut of an abundance of caution.鈥�
SITA provides IT services for the airline industry, including passenger travel planning and booking, airport operations and security, baggage, aircraft connectivity and in-flight cabin and cockpit operations. It first announced the breach on Thursday.