On Sunday British Airways informed that thousands of its frequent flyer accounts had been hacked and that it had frozen those affected to sort out the problem.

It also informed that no personal information had been viewed or stolen, however warned customers that some fliers might not be able to use their air miles temporarily. It expected the system to be back to normal in the next day or so.

According to spokeswoman Michele Kropf, British Airways is not aware of any access to any personal information within Executive Club accounts, including travel histories or credit card details. Customers were emailed details on how to reactive their accounts.

The breach apparently was the result of a third party using information obtained elsewhere on the Internet, via an automated process, to try to gain access to accounts. It follows problems for hotel companies Hilton and Starwood as well as United and American airlines.