---
title: "Amadeus Data Breach: Which Airlines Are Affected and What You Should Do Now"
description: JAL, Cathay Pacific, ANA, Korean Air, Asiana and Malaysia Airlines say booking data was exposed via Amadeus. Who is affected and what to do now.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-02T11:32:40.917Z
updated: 2026-11-02T11:32:40.928Z
canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/amadeus-data-breach-airlines-affected
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/unsplash-gmj3tfolvna.webp
categories: Smart Travel
content_type: Guide
region: Asia Pacific
publication: Rich Travel Magazine
about:
  - type: Organization
    name: Amadeus IT Group
    description: Spanish technology company providing booking and distribution systems for airlines and travel agencies.
    url: https://amadeus.com
---

Malaysia Airlines is the latest carrier to warn passengers that their booking details may have been exposed in a security breach at Amadeus, the Spanish company that runs reservation and ticketing systems for more than 200 airlines. [Reuters reported on Sunday 1st November](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/malaysia-airlines-says-customers-may-be-affected-by-amadeus-breach-2026-11-01/) that the airline had joined Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Asiana in confirming that customer data was caught up in the incident.

The exposure window is long. Malaysia Airlines said the breach may have affected customer information processed between August 2023 and September 2026. If you have flown with any of the airlines below in that period, your booking may be among the records affected.

- **Japan Airlines:** about 92,000 customers. Names, reservation codes and flight details were exposed. For around 2,000 of them, the data may also include passport numbers, nationality, email addresses, phone numbers, frequent flyer numbers, ticket numbers and assigned seats.
- **Cathay Pacific:** around 53,000 bookings, according to [the airline's own statement](https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_HK/latest-news/security-and-operational-changes/personal-data-security.html).
- **All Nippon Airways:** 37,800 customers. ANA confirmed on 29th October that Amadeus had reported unauthorised access to reservation data on ANA flights.
- **Korean Air and Asiana Airlines:** reservation numbers were exposed. Amadeus notified both carriers on 20th October, and neither has published a figure.
- **Malaysia Airlines:** no figure published. The airline said its own IT systems were not breached and that there is no evidence financial information was accessed.

The airlines' statements point to [stolen login credentials](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/airport-cyberattack-exposes-hidden-vulnerabilities-in-travel-s-digital-backbone) for an Amadeus system account. Amadeus said it had become aware of a vulnerability affecting a travel booking display environment, and that card numbers and financial profiles were held separately from the affected portal. The company has reset passwords across the system and added monitoring.

The intruders were able to read booking screens for more than three years before the gap was closed in September 2026. Amadeus has not said how many passengers were affected in total.

Your name, booking reference and flight number cannot empty a bank account on their own. They are, however, exactly what a fraudster needs to [write a convincing message](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/businesses-should-be-paying-attention-to-ai-powered-social-engineering). A fake 'refund' email that quotes your real route, travel date and seat looks far more genuine than the usual spam, and that is the risk the airlines are now warning about. Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines have both urged customers to be wary of unexpected emails, calls and links that use the airline's name.

If you flew with any of these airlines since August 2023, take these five steps now.

1. **Check your inbox.** Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana are contacting affected customers individually. A genuine notice will come from the airline's own email address and will never require you to log in through a link.
2. **Treat refund and rebooking messages with suspicion,** even when they quote correct details. Open the airline's app, or type its web address yourself, rather than clicking anything in the message.
3. **Never share a password, card PIN or one-time code** with anyone who contacts you about a flight, however official the caller sounds.
4. **Change your frequent flyer password,** especially if you use it anywhere else, and switch on two-step verification where the airline offers it.
5. **Protect your identity if your passport number was involved.** In the UK, the [Information Commissioner's Office](https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/i-m-worried-an-organisation-hasn-t-kept-my-information-safe-what-should-i-do/what-steps-can-i-take-if-i-ve-been-affected-by-a-personal-data-breach/) suggests applying for Cifas protective registration, which places a warning flag against your name so lenders run extra checks before opening an account.

Amadeus serves airlines on every continent, and the notifications so far have arrived in waves. Korean Air and Asiana had still not established how many of their passengers were affected more than ten days after Amadeus alerted them, as the data sits on a system neither airline controls. Other Korean carriers that use Amadeus products, including Jeju Air, Eastar Jet and Air Premia, have received no reports of exposure so far.

Rich Travel will update this page as further airlines report.