Emirates cuts US services

BTN News
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Days after Qatar Airways said the recent USA-imposed ban on personal electronic devices (PEDs) in the cabins of flights to the USA had cost it about 10 passengers per departure, rival Gulf carrier Emirates has cut 20 per cent of its flights to the USA, impacting five of its current 12 destinations there.
The Dubai-based carrier has previously reported a slump in global revenues, but this is the first sign there has been a serious drop in demand caused by tougher US security measures and/or attempts by the Trump administration to ban travellers from a number of Muslim-majority nations. The latest US travel ban suspended new visas for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and froze the nation's refugee program. Like an earlier ban that included Iraqi citizens, it was quickly blocked by the courts.
 
Emirates' half-year profit fell 75 per cent to US$214 million through last September and it said then that a "bleak" economic outlook in many parts of the world was reducing travel demand.
Now: "The recent actions taken by the US government relating to the issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting, and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins, have had a direct impact on consumer interest and demand for air travel into the US," Emirates said.
 
It said it will use the jets from the culled routes elsewhere on its network.
 
The cuts mean the twice-daily flights to Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle will be halved. Daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando will become five per week.

Emirates cuts US services

BTN News
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Days after Qatar Airways said the recent USA-imposed ban on personal electronic devices (PEDs) in the cabins of flights to the USA had cost it about 10 passengers per departure, rival Gulf carrier Emirates has cut 20 per cent of its flights to the USA, impacting five of its current 12 destinations there.
The Dubai-based carrier has previously reported a slump in global revenues, but this is the first sign there has been a serious drop in demand caused by tougher US security measures and/or attempts by the Trump administration to ban travellers from a number of Muslim-majority nations. The latest US travel ban suspended new visas for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and froze the nation's refugee program. Like an earlier ban that included Iraqi citizens, it was quickly blocked by the courts.
 
Emirates' half-year profit fell 75 per cent to US$214 million through last September and it said then that a "bleak" economic outlook in many parts of the world was reducing travel demand.
Now: "The recent actions taken by the US government relating to the issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting, and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins, have had a direct impact on consumer interest and demand for air travel into the US," Emirates said.
 
It said it will use the jets from the culled routes elsewhere on its network.
 
The cuts mean the twice-daily flights to Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle will be halved. Daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando will become five per week.