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12 American Airlines passengers with 'flu-like symptoms' briefly held in Philadelphia

Passengers and crew on 2 American Airlines flights arriving from Europe were held away from other travellers upon arrival in Philadelphia Thursday after several showed signs of "flu-like symptoms," federal officials said. Customs and Border Protection said 12 passengers on 2 flights, Flight 755 from Paris and Flight 717 from Munich, showed signs of illness. All 12 have been released after they were reviewed by federal and Philadelphia health officials, CBP said. The agency said the measure, which is unusual, was taken out of "an abundance of caution" a day after authorities briefly quarantined an Emirates Airline plane upon landing in New York from Dubai. Its crew reported passengers had similar symptoms. CBP said the American Airlines flights were not quarantined. <br/>

British Airways to codeshare with Indian domestic carrier Vistara

British Airways said it has signed a codeshare deal with Indian domestic carrier Vistara that will open up more routes between London and Indian destinations. BA operates 2 direct flights a day from Heathrow to Mumbai, a double daily service to Delhi and a daily flight to Chennai as well as direct flights to Hyderabad and Bangalore from Heathrow Terminal 5. With the new deal passengers can book seats for travel from Sept 27 on Vistara flights to Indian destinations from Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. The agreement opens up Indian cities that have previously been more difficult to access from the UK such as Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Goa, Kolkata, Kochi, and Pune, the airline said. <br/>

British Airways reveals customer data breach

British Airways has disclosed that for 2 weeks from Aug 21 hackers stole customer data from its website and mobile app. BA said the stolen information was personal and financial details, but not did not relate to travel or passports. It said it had resolved the breach, contacted affected customers, and notified the authorities, including the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. The breach came at the height of the summer season. In April this year, Delta Air Lines announced one of its suppliers had been the victim of a data breach, while last week Air Canada said its mobile app had been breached, potentially affecting 20,000 people. There were 1,000 cyber-attacks each month on aviation systems in 2016, according to EASA. <br/>

Qatar Airways still keen on India unit and IndiGo stake

Qatar Airways remains interested in establishing an airline in India, and remains open to taking a stake in IndiGo. Group CE Akbar Al Baker says that the airline will take further steps to set up its own India-based carrier only when the foreign direct investment cap is relaxed. At present, India allows 100% ownership of its domestic carriers by foreign parties, but foreign airlines are limited to a 49% ownership. Qatar Airways has previously indicated that the carrier would be 49% owned by the airline, with the remainder held by a Qatar Investment Authority. While it would be "run by an Indian board; the chairman will be Indian", Al Baker adds that it will not proceed if it is forced to team up with a local partner. The proposed carrier would be a full-service carrier targeting the fast-growing middle class in the country. <br/>