An airline passenger received unsolicited WhatsApp messages from a contractor working for Etihad Airways while she was waiting to board a flight from Abu Dhabi to Manchester, she has said.
Hannah Smethurst, 23, tweeted a screenshot showing WhatsApp messages from a United Arab Emirates number she did not recognise, displaying the name Muhammed, at 1.32am on Wednesday.
“Heyyy, I have seen u from abudhabi,” the first message said, followed by a smiling emoji. When she questioned how the sender got her number, they replied “I searched u in the system” and clarified they were referring to the airline’s system.
The messages continued: “If am disturbing u … Just block me.” About 10 minutes after the first message, the sender added: “FYI Ur flight is boarding.”
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 me 🥲, terrifying experience travelling alone. pic.twitter.com/qPWdg1rJlN
— Hannah (@hansmeths) June 21, 2023
Smethurst, who was travelling back to her home in Preston after visiting a friend in Abu Dhabi, said the experience left her feeling concerned about her safety.
“I was alone, so I just felt really vulnerable because it stuck in my mind that he knows my number, knows my home address and my full name and email address and obviously everything you give the airline when you book,” she said. “I just felt vulnerable and scared. [It] made me feel like he knew what was going on and where I was going.”
Smethurst alleged that airport staff were initially dismissive when she reported the incident. She spoke to a manager who offered to take her off the flight so she could file a police report, but warned that she would have to wait 24 hours for the next direct flight to Manchester, she said.
“I just rang my mum who tried to calm me down and then just got on the flight, because they only do one a day back to Manchester so I thought: I’m not waiting around,” she said.
“I landed in Manchester, it was then actually the Manchester Etihad customer services who were great and they helped me out loads.”
Etihad said its team had initiated a full investigation after speaking to Smethurst and establishing that there had been “inappropriate conduct by an employee of a third-party contractor”.
A spokesperson said: “As a result of the investigation, the relevant employee involved has been disciplined in accordance with the contractor’s disciplinary procedures. The privacy and safety of our guests is our No 1 priority and we sincerely apologise for the distress caused to our guest.”
