WestJet suspends credit-card kiosk check-ins amid fraud probe
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | 8:52 PM ET
CBC News
WestJet Airlines Ltd. said Wednesday it plans to disable the credit-card readers on self-service ticket kiosks at 28 Canadian airports amid an investigation into the kiosks' security.
Ken McKenzie, executive vice-president of operations, said the Calgary-based airline is taking the action as a precaution.
A WestJet staffer helps a passenger check in at a self-service kiosk at the Calgary International Airport on Wednesday. (CBC) "Obviously, it's not something that we want to introduce. It reduces the efficiency that we have, but again, one of the key values is the safety of our guests and we believe that the safety expands and embraces both their physical safety but also the safety of their identity, and we thought that this was a very prudent step to take," he said.
Passengers will still be able to use the kiosks to check in using their ticket reference numbers or passports.
Earlier Wednesday, a spokesman for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority said a recent audit demonstrated the kiosks, used to check in and pick up boarding passes, were safe and secure.
"We checked our systems and everything checks out, so we're happy with that," said Scott Armstrong.
Armstrong also said the airport is not considering taking the kiosks out of service.
"We own the hardware and then we have a licence with software providers. Our portion of the equation if you will has been checked, and is safe and secure," Armstrong said.
Visa on Wednesday acknowledged they are conducting an investigation but declined to offer specific details about the case.
"Visa Canada is currently investigating isolated reports of fraud that have a correlation with air travel, in particular at a Canadian airport," the company said. "We are working with airport officials and the airlines to investigate the situation."
The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday the credit card company is investigating instances of fraud believed to be linked with the Pearson kiosks.
No investigation yet, says commissioner's spokeswoman
Anne-Marie Hayden, a spokeswoman with the federal privacy commissioner, confirmed it has been contacted by the GTAA about the investigation.
"It's a complex issue. And there are questions around jurisdiction that we're looking at," she said in an e-mail.
"We have not at this point initiated an investigation. But we are communicating with the organizations, we are monitoring this issue closely and we are also working to determine next steps."
In 2007, 31.5 million passengers travelled through Pearson International Airport.
Data breaches in recent years have unsettled consumers and businesses alike.
The federal privacy commissioner in June singled out the TJX Cos. data breach — in which more than 94 million credit and debit cards were exposed — as particularly "staggering" and the "largest-ever online burglary."
A probe by the privacy commissioner's office found the Massachusetts-based parent company of Winners and HomeSense collected too much information, kept the data for too long and relied on weak WEP encryption technology to protect its wireless local networks.
The privacy commissioner also found the hackers did not use sophisticated equipment to break into the computer system.
