CONSUMER watchdog Choice believes the cyber attack on Qantas yesterday highlights the urgent need for a stronger ombud scheme to better support complaints from travellers.
The body argued that while the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman both consider financial and telco complaints regarding data breaches, there is currently no equivalent independent body for airline customers to raise concerns when cyber attacks occur.
“This a huge gap in our consumer protection system,” Choice Senior Policy Advisor Bea Sherwood warned.
“[Yesterday’s] cyber attack (TD 02 Jul) on Qantas has left millions of customer records at serious risk of being stolen, and despite ongoing issues with Qantas and other airlines, customers still don’t have an effective means of directing or resolving their complaints,” she concluded.
While an Aviation White Paper released in Aug last year (TD 26 Aug 2024) has already confirmed a new aviation industry ombud scheme will be created with the power to enforce better consumer standards from 2026, Choice has remained critical of the details so far supplied by the policy recommendation.
Earlier this year, the body called for the government to clarify how a new consumer rights charter will be used by the upcoming aviation ombud scheme to resolve disputes.
Meanwhile, the MD of supply chain defence cyber company Kash Sharma said airlines like Qantas are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to the size and complexity of their digital ecosystems – especially through their reliance on third-party vendors and service providers.
“The aviation sector in the region is under immense strain as it juggles worker shortages, geopolitical risks and economic pressures,” Sharma explained.
“It is clear that attackers are exploiting systemic weaknesses, particularly in sprawling supply chain ecosystems that often lack rigorous security governance.
“Threat actors are now promoting customisable and AI-powered toolkits, pointing to a professionalised ecosystem of cybercrime that outpaces current defence across the sector.”
Impacted Qantas customers have been contacted by the carrier to instruct them on how to handle possible breaches. AB
