• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  Travel  >  Compromised Data: American, United, Delta – Oh My
Travel

Compromised Data: American, United, Delta – Oh My

Kyle Stewart Posted onMarch 7, 2021September 12, 2021 6 Comments
My dear readers, some links on this site pay us referral fees for sending business and sales. We value your time and money and will not waste it. For our complete advertising policy, click here. The content on this page is not provided by any companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone.

It has been a rough week for frequent flyers and most of them were on the ground. Compromised data at American, United, and Delta Air Lines leaves flyers wondering what’s next?


If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.


If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.

Data Breaches Everywhere

Frequent flyer customers of just about every airline had a rough week. Atlanta-based SITA passenger service system compromised the data of frequent flyer members in most major US carriers and several abroad. Oneworld members Malaysia Airlines, Finnair, Japan Airlines join American Airlines in the breach that affected the global airline industry including passenger travel planning and booking.

Star Alliance sent messages out with its own message to frequent flyers as many member airlines were affected. In fact, 90% of the industry was part of the database. A spokesman for the company and SITA’s Geneva-based parent company advised that flight cabin and cockpit operations were available in the breach however account passwords were not thought to be compromised.

The company handles itinerary, airport operations and security, baggage, aircraft connectivity, and booking airport operations.

February 1st

It’s an interesting coincidence that February 1st is National Change Your Password Day. In this instance, it wouldn’t have saved any of us because the breach happened before then, but it’s another great reminder that your password is probably out-of-date and you should change it.

If you haven’t changed your passwords in a while, it’s probably time to do so and treat this like a mandate instead of an idea.

What Should You Do?

When it comes to compromised data, airlines are at the mercy of their contractors. And so are we all, though far more unwittingly. Passengers don’t really know what companies do with their data and that can and should stop. In the same breath that we hold companies accountable for their other behaviors, we need more than a shrug of the shoulders.

When you give your personal information to Delta there’s a reasonable expectation that it’s Delta that will hold on to it, manage it and use it. Sure, maybe they will sell your email to 1-800-FLOWERS or partner with a wine club but most don’t have an impression that Delta is sharing their information with a bunch of companies that you’ve never heard of.

Companies with data breaches have a standard protocol at this point: make a statement, offer identity protection, tell customers how the data breach didn’t affect their extremely sensitive data, wait for a lawsuit, settle out of court whereby affected parties receive next to nothing for their trouble and risk.

How is it that one company controls 90% of the market anyway? Where’s the competition and where are the European market overlords to break up the monopoly?

Maybe we all need to make it clearer that this is unacceptable. We’ve seen the strength of banding together for change recently and this might be an area where we write our congresspeople to get a law that makes it clear where our data goes and holds parties responsible when it’s mismanaged.

Conclusion

I, like many of our readership no doubt, am tired of an apology email to state that yet again my personal information has been mismanaged by a company I trusted, who gave my information to a company I implicitly did not. I’m also annoyed by the personal risk and hassle incumbent on me, the customer, for a company’s mistake.

If you’re reading this blog, there’s an extremely high likelihood some element of your personal data and frequent flyer information (including frequent flyer name and membership number) is being sold around the world at the moment. Change your password, write your congressman, and let travel providers know this is entirely unacceptable.

What do you think? Were you affected by the breach? How many times? What do you intend to do about it? 

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Previous Article A Cantina To Avoid At Denver International Airport
Next Article California Approves Reopening Disneyland, Other Theme Parks

About Author

Kyle Stewart

Kyle is a freelance travel writer with contributions to Time, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Reuters, Huffington Post, MapHappy, Live And Lets Fly and many other media outlets. He is also co-founder of Scottandthomas.com, a travel agency that delivers "Travel Personalized." He focuses on using miles and points to provide a premium experience for his wife and daughter. Email: sherpa@thetripsherpa.com

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

Related Posts

  • aa loyalty points

    Is American Airlines Loyalty Points Program Too Generous?

    July 31, 2022
  • American Airlines stock

    Analyst: American Airlines Bankruptcy Increasingly Likely

    July 24, 2022
  • vtol jet

    American Airlines Combats Pilot Shortage By Reducing Passenger Ratio

    July 17, 2022

6 Comments

  1. Ghostrider5408 Reply
    March 7, 2021 at 8:28 am

    I have been slowly removing accounts online reducing my “footprint” as much as I can realizing that once your online the genie is out of the box. with that said this will continue to be an ongoing issue in our lives the sad part is t hat the majority of these hackers are state sponsored in one form or another. Through my company I do have some “industrial strength” security applications but even those don’t catch everything . My Apple Calendar got spammed yesterday!

    Travel wisely

  2. Dave Reply
    March 7, 2021 at 10:45 am

    As usual there is no consequence or penalty. Consumer data is basically without protection in most of the world (except the EU and UK). By providing your data online you relinquish all control and there seems to be very little accountability. No wonder in a country like the US where you can’t even stop your bank or card issuer from sharing your information for marketing purposes!!

    There need to be some class action lawsuits in the US where a company has to pay billions for not securing customer data properly. Maybe that will change the way corporations safeguard our data.

    And I hope America wakes up to the idea that “freedom” does not mean that companies can do whatever they want with your data.

  3. O.K. Reply
    March 7, 2021 at 10:29 pm

    Do you have any source of information indicating that Delta was included in this breach? Every article I see at other media outlets indicates that it was only Star Alliance and Oneworld airlines that were affected. It would be helpful if you provided some supporting evidence, since those of us who are regular Delta fliers might want to know more about this.

  4. Mike S. Reply
    March 11, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Dave,

    It would be very helpful if someone with the knowledge and expertise of such things could compose a letter for those of us less literate that we could sign and sent to our legislators.

  5. Dee More Reply
    March 11, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    I got a letter from AA as did the rest of my family about this. However, at least in Texas and perhaps nationally, companies that have been compromised are required to provide free credit monitoring for a year after notification. Where is that???????? Why is AA exempt from this????

  6. Kim Reply
    March 12, 2021 at 9:03 am

    Weird. I didn’t get anything from American, Delta or Alaska. My biggest concern is my TSA precheck number. All of the rest of my information is very general. 🙁

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Georgian Food Warsaw
    Delicious Georgian Food In Warsaw August 8, 2022
  • Delta Ghana Lawsuit
    Bizarre Delta Air Lines Ghana Flight Prompts Formal Complaint, Threat Of Lawsuit August 8, 2022
  • Did An American Airlines Flight Divert To Rome Just Because A Man Soiled Himself? August 8, 2022
  • Warsaw Poland Photo Essay
    Photo Essay: Warsaw, Poland August 8, 2022

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Southwest Airlines Lady In Red
    Southwest Airlines Allows “Lady In Red” To Fly In Revealing Attire But Throws Off Seatmate Who Defended Her July 13, 2022
  • American Airlines Flight Attendant Snoozing
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Snoozes During Flight, Prompting Complaint From Thirsty Business Class Passenger July 11, 2022
  • American Airlines stock
    Analyst: American Airlines Bankruptcy Increasingly Likely July 24, 2022
  • Avianca 787 Business Class
    Comically Bad: Avianca 787 Business Class July 21, 2022

Archives

August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.