One day after the president of Qatar Airways told CNN i that the ban on carry-on electronics was "not necessary to frighten passengers," Emirates has announced that it will reduce U.S. flights due to the Trump administration's restrictive policies.
"This is a commercial decision in response to weakened travel demand to US. 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," an Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News in an email.
Starting May 1, flights from Florida will begin to be reduced. Fort Lauderdale service will go from daily service to five days per week on May 1. Flights from Orlando will also change from daily to five days per week on May 23.
According to the airline, Seattle and Boston service will change from twice daily to once daily. The new service in Seattle begins June 1 and Boston switches to once-daily on June 2.
Los Angeles service will also be cut to once per day on July 1.
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While these changes reflect the challenges Emirates faces in light of new travel restrictions, the airline says it will continue to monitor the administration's travel policies and could reinstate service in the future.
"We will redeploy capacity to serve demand on other routes on our global network," a spokesperson said to Gulf News.
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