Privacy Policy
How Qantas Virtual collects, uses, and protects your personal data — and your rights under GDPR.
1. Who we are (Data Controller)
Qantas Virtual ("QFV", "we", "us") is an independent VATSIM virtual airline operating in the VATPAC region. We are not affiliated with Qantas Airways Limited.
Single point of contact for all privacy and data rights requests:
2. What personal data we collect
We collect the following categories of personal data when you register and use QFV services:
- Identity data: Full name, display name, profile picture (optional)
- Contact data: Email address
- Network data: VATSIM CID (mandatory for all QFV members), Discord username (optional)
- Flight activity data: Logged flights, aircraft used, routes, block times, landing rates, SimBrief OFP references
- Account data: Pilot ID (QFV-XXXX), rank, role, account status, registration date
- Communications data: Support tickets, ACARS messages, direct messages within the CrewHub (retained for moderation purposes)
- Technical data: Session tokens (Firebase Authentication), browser local storage (session persistence only)
We do not collect payment information, precise location data, or any special category data as defined under GDPR Article 9.
3. Legal basis for processing (GDPR Article 6)
- Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b)): Processing your name, email, VATSIM CID and flight data is necessary to operate your QFV membership and provide CrewHub services.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Communications data is retained for community safety, moderation, and to resolve disputes.
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Optional data (profile picture, public bio, Discord handle) is processed only with your explicit consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
4. How we use your data
- To create and manage your QFV pilot account
- To track flight logs and calculate rank progression
- To enable real-time ACARS communications between pilots
- To process and respond to support tickets
- To display your public profile on the QFV pilot roster (name and rank only, unless you publish a bio)
- To comply with VATSIM VAA/VAP audit requirements
We do not sell, share, or disclose your personal data to third parties for commercial purposes.
5. Data storage and international transfers
Your data is stored in Google Firebase (Realtime Database, Authentication, and Storage), hosted in the United States. Google LLC is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, providing appropriate safeguards for international transfers under GDPR Chapter V.
Data is retained for the duration of your QFV membership plus 90 days following account deletion, after which all personal data is permanently removed.
6. Cookies and tracking
QFV uses only essential session storage for authentication (Firebase Auth tokens stored in browser local storage). We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics. No data is transferred to advertising networks.
7. Your rights under GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679)
As a data subject, you have the following rights. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 1. We will respond within 30 days.
Right of Access (Art. 15)
Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification (Art. 16)
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to Erasure (Art. 17)
Request deletion of your account and all associated personal data ("right to be forgotten").
Right to Restrict Processing (Art. 18)
Request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability (Art. 20)
Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format (JSON export).
Right to Object (Art. 21)
Object to processing based on legitimate interests at any time.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Withdraw consent for optional data processing at any time without affecting prior processing.
Right to Lodge a Complaint
Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (e.g. OAIC in Australia, ICO in UK/EU).
8. VATSIM data sharing
By joining QFV you acknowledge that your VATSIM CID may be used to verify your VATSIM membership status. QFV operates in compliance with VATSIM's Privacy Policy and the Virtual Airline Policy (VAP v1.5, Jan 2026). Flight activity conducted on the VATSIM network is subject to VATSIM's own data handling practices.
9. Contact and complaints
For all privacy-related requests, data access requests, erasure requests, or complaints, contact us at the details listed in Section 1. This is the single point of contact for all data subject rights as required by GDPR Article 13(2)(b).
If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In Australia, this is the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).