Etihad Airways, one of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leading carriers, is caught up in privacy trouble after a worker inappropriately sent messages to a female traveler on WhatsApp using the airline’s data.

Hannah Smethurst, a 23-year-old medical student, was flying from Abu Dhabi to Manchester on Etihad Airways when she received unsolicited messages from an airline’s worker.

The incident came to light after she posted a screenshot of her WhatsApp exchange with the airline staffer on Twitter.

According to the Guardian, a man identifying himself as an Etihad Airways employee texted Smethrust, saying, “Heyyy. I have seen u from abudhabi.” After Smethrust asked how he got her number, he replied, “Sorryyy. I searched u in the system.”

The British national described her experience as “terrifying,” and wrote in the caption, “A guy who works for the Etihad airline used my personal data which he found via the airline database after seeing my passport to get my phone number and proceeded to text.”

However, the sender told her that if he was bothering her, she could block him. After about five minutes, he sent another message saying, “FYI Ur flight is boarding.”

The Guardian reported that the 23-year-old felt troubled by the incident, which left her concerned about her safety and privacy.

She claimed that the sender knew her phone number, address, full name, email address, and everything else she told the airline while reserving a ticket.

Smethurst also said that the airport officials failed to help her. She argued that the manager offered to take her off the flight so she could file a complaint, but also told her that her next excursion to Manchester would depart in 24 hours.

As a result, she boarded her scheduled flight and complained to Etihad customer service in Manchester after landing.

Source: Pro Pakistani