Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest airline, said Wednesday that it is cutting flights to the United States because of a drop in demand caused by heightened U.S. security measures and Trump administration attempts to ban travelers from several Muslim-majority nations.

The decision by the Dubai government-owned airline is the strongest sign yet that tougher measures imposed on U.S.-bound travelers from the Middle East are taking a financial toll on fast-growing Persian Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years.

Dubai was one of 10 cities in Muslim-majority countries affected by a ban on laptops and other personal electronics in carry-on luggage aboard U.S.-bound flights.

Emirates’ hub at Dubai International Airport, the world’s third busiest, is a major transit point for travelers who were affected by President Trump’s executive orders temporarily halting entry to citizens of six countries.

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The latest 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 also included Iraqi citizens, it has been blocked from taking effect by the courts.

Emirates said the reductions will affect five of its 12 U.S. destinations, starting next month. It called the move “a commercial decision in response to weakened travel demand” in the three months since Trump took office.

“The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S.,” the carrier said.

Emirates did not provide financial data for its U.S. operations but said it had seen “healthy growth and performance” there until the start of the year.

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But in the three months Trump has been in office, the airline said, there has been “a significant deterioration in the booking profiles on all our U.S. routes, across all travel segments.”

“Emirates has therefore responded as any profit-oriented enterprise would, and we will redeploy capacity to serve demand on other routes on our global network,” it said.

The cuts will reduce the number of U.S.-bound flights from the carrier’s Dubai hub to 101, down from 126.

Twice-daily Emirates flights to Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston will be reduced to once a day. Daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., will be pared down to five a week.

Like its smaller Persian Gulf rivals Qatar Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Emirates has ramped up its U.S. presence in recent years and recently launched a new service to Newark, N.J., via Athens.

Several big U.S. carriers have bristled at the Persian Gulf airlines’ American push, accusing them of flooding the market with capacity while receiving billions of dollars of unfair government subsidies. The Persian Gulf airlines deny the allegations.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both stopped flying to Dubai last year, leaving Emirates as the only carrier to offer direct U.S. flights to what has become the world’s busiest airport for international traffic.

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UPDATES:

9 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Emirates and with background information about other Persian Gulf-based and U.S.-based airlines.

This article was originally published at 7:55 a.m.</s>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, said on Wednesday that it is cutting flights to the United States because of a drop in demand caused by heightened U.S. security measures and Trump administration attempts to ban travelers from Muslim-majority nations.

The decision by the Dubai government-owned carrier is the strongest sign yet that tougher measures imposed on U.S.-bound travelers from the Mideast are taking a financial toll on fast-growing Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years.

Dubai was one of 10 cities in Muslim-majority countries affected by a ban on laptops and other personal electronics in carry-on luggage aboard U.S.-bound flights.

Emirates' hub at Dubai International Airport, the world's third busiest, is a major transit point for travelers who were affected by President Donald Trump's executive orders temporarily halting entry to citizens of six countries.

The latest 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 also included Iraqi citizens, it has been blocked from taking effect by the courts.

Emirates said the reductions will affect five of its 12 U.S. destinations, starting next month. It called the move "a commercial decision in response to weakened travel demand" in the three months since Trump took office.

"The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S.," the carrier said.

The cuts will reduce the number of U.S.-bound flights from the carrier's Dubai hub to 101, down from 126 currently.

Twice daily Emirates flights to Boston, Los Angles and Seattle will be reduced to once a day. Daily flights to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando will be pared down to five per week.

FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, file photo the first class section of an Emirates airlines Airbus A380 is ready for boarding at the new Concourse A of Dubai airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Middle East's biggest airline says it is reducing flights to the United States because of a drop in demand caused by tougher U.S. security measures and attempts by the Trump administration to ban travelers from a number of Muslim-majority nations. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)</s>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest airline, said on Wednesday that it is cutting flights to the United States because of a drop in demand caused by heightened U.S. security measures and Trump administration attempts to ban travelers from Muslim-majority nations.

The decision by the Dubai government-owned carrier is the strongest sign yet that tougher measures imposed on U.S.-bound travelers from the Mideast are taking a financial toll on fast-growing Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years.

Dubai was one of 10 cities in Muslim-majority countries affected by a ban on laptops and other personal electronics in carry-on luggage aboard U.S.-bound flights.

Emirates’ hub at Dubai International Airport, the world’s third busiest, is a major transit point for travelers who were affected by President Donald Trump’s executive orders temporarily halting entry to citizens of six countries.

The latest 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 also included Iraqi citizens, it has been blocked from taking effect by the courts.

Emirates said the reductions will affect five of its 12 U.S. destinations, starting next month. It called the move “a commercial decision in response to weakened travel demand” in the three months since Trump took office.

“The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S.,” the carrier said.

The cuts will reduce the number of U.S.-bound flights from the carrier’s Dubai hub to 101, down from 126 currently.

Twice daily Emirates flights to Boston, Los Angles and Seattle will be reduced to once a day. Daily flights to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando will be pared down to five per week.</s>Emirates Airline says it is reducing its number of U.S.-bound flights because security restrictions imposed by the Trump administration have weakened demand in Middle East countries.

The Dubai-based carrier will pare back flights to five of the 12 U.S. cities it serves. Flights to Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles will be reduced from twice to once daily, and in Florida, daily service to Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale will shrink to five flights a week.

Overall, it's a reduction of 25 flights per week for the airline, according to The Associated Press.

"The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S," Emirates said in a statement announcing the decision.

Last month, the Trump administration announced that passengers on direct flights to the U.S. from eight majority-Muslim countries — Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — must now place electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and cameras in checked baggage.

Those restrictions came on the heels of President Trump's controversial executive orders in January and early March seeking to temporarily halt travel from several other mostly Muslim nations. Both orders were halted by the courts.

The Dubai International Airport in the UAE, which is Emirates' hub, is a major transit point for nationals of countries listed in Trump's travel bans, The Associated Press reports.

The news service says the airline's decision is "the strongest sign yet that the new measures imposed on U.S.-bound travelers from the Mideast are taking a financial toll on fast-growing Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the United States."

In its statement, Emirates said it had seen "significant deterioration" in its U.S. bookings since January but did not offer specific numbers.

The carrier's remarks about reduced demand echo observations in the months following Trump's initial travel ban. As NPR's David Schaper reported:



"[Tourism company] NYC & Company is revising its forecasts this year, projecting that 300,000 fewer international travelers will visit New York. ... "And the downturn in international travel to the U.S. is not just affecting New York. Philadelphia's tourism agency says one international meeting that draws some 3,000 attendees is now going to Canada or to Mexico. "ForwardKeys, a company that tracks travel, reports that international travel bookings to the U.S. were down 6.5 percent in February. And the Global Business Travel Association says in just the first week following the president's January 27 travel ban, the U.S. lost nearly $200 million in business travel bookings."</s>The Dubai-based airline has dramatically reduced its flight schedule to the United States. From next month, flights to five of the 12 US cities Emirates services will be affected by the changes. Dubai to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Seattle, Los Angeles and Boston will all operate a reduced schedule. Emirates has blamed the decision on a drop in demand since Donald Trump became president.

A spokesperson for the airline said: "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. “Until the start of 2017, Emirates’ operations in the US has seen healthy growth and performance, driven by customer demand for our high quality product and our international flight connections. “However, over the past three months, we have seen a significant deterioration in the booking profiles on all our US routes, across all travel segments.” New security measures introduced by the Trump administration have directly affected all airlines travelling from the Middle East to America.

The first was an attempted flight ban on travellers from several predominantly Muslim countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has since been contested in court. Last month the US introduced a laptop ban on direct inbound flights from 10 countries. All devices larger than a mobile phone are forbidden from carry-on and must be stored in checked luggage.</s>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest airline, said on Wednesday it is cutting flights to the United States because of a drop in demand caused by tougher U.S. security measures and Trump administration attempts to ban travelers from Muslim-majority nations.

The decision by the Dubai government-owned carrier is the strongest sign yet that the new measures imposed on U.S.-bound travelers from the Mideast are taking a financial toll on fast-growing Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the United States.

Dubai was one of 10 cities in Muslim-majority countries affected by a ban on laptops and other personal electronics in carry-on luggage aboard U.S.-bound flights.

Emirates’ hub at Dubai International Airport, the world’s third busiest, is a major transit point for travelers who were affected by President Donald Trump’s executive orders temporarily halting entry to citizens of six countries.

The latest 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 also included Iraqi citizens, it has been blocked from taking effect by the courts.

Emirates said the reductions will affect five of its 12 U.S. destinations, starting next month. It called the move “a commercial decision in response to weakened travel demand” in the three months since Trump took office.

“The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S.,” the carrier said in a statement.

Emirates did not provide financial data for its U.S. operations but said it had seen “healthy growth and performance” there until the start of the year.

In the three months Trump has been in office, however, there has been what it called “a significant deterioration in the booking profiles on all our U.S. routes, across all travel segments.”

“Emirates has therefore responded as any profit-oriented enterprise would, and we will redeploy capacity to serve demand on other routes on our global network,” it said.

The cuts will reduce the number of U.S.-bound flights from Dubai to 101, down from 126 currently.

Twice daily Emirates flights to Boston, Los Angles and Seattle will be reduced to once a day. Daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando will be pared down to five per week.

Like its smaller Gulf rivals Qatar Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Emirates has ramped up its U.S. presence in recent years and recently launched a new service to Newark via Athens.

Several big U.S. carriers have bristled at the Gulf airlines’ U.S. push, accusing them of flooding the market with capacity while receiving billions of dollars of unfair government subsidies. The Gulf airlines deny the allegations.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both stopped flying to Dubai last year, leaving Emirates the only carrier to offer direct U.S. flights to what has become the world’s busiest airport for international traffic.</s>The Dubai-based airline Emirates has announced it has been forced to cut flights to the United States in the aftermath of President Donald Trump introducing travel restrictions."Emirates can confirm that we will be reducing flights to five of the 12 US cities we currently serve," said a spokesperson for the company.Trump signed an executive order last month toughening vetting procedures on citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. The order was rejected by American courts, but the administration said it will appeal.Also in March, Washington banned laptops, tablets or any communication devices larger than a smartphone from being brought into the cabin of planes on direct flights to the US from ten airports in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, including the United Arab Emirates."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," the company added.Emirates is offering its premium travelers laptops on loan, but it hasn't helped.Emirates called itself a "profit-oriented enterprise," explaining the decision.That drew a response from the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies — the lobbying organization that speaks on behalf of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. The lobby said Emirates calling itself profit-oriented is "laughable," as it makes money-losing flights possible only because of government subsidies.</s>Emirates Airline, the world's biggest international air carrier by traffic, said Wednesday it is cutting flights to five U.S. cities because of a drop in demand since President Donald Trump sought to curb immigration from several Muslim-majority countries and imposed restrictions on passengers carrying electronic devices on flights to the United States.

The Dubai-based carrier said that over the last three months, as Trump assumed power in Washington, it has seen "a significant deterioration" in bookings to the U.S. It said that "as any profit-oriented enterprise would," it has decided to cut service to the U.S. and instead move flights to other cities across the globe.

The U.S. in March cited terrorism threats as it banned air passengers from several Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, from carrying large electronic devices, such as laptops and tablets, in cabins on flights to the United States.

Earlier, Trump issued two orders, both blocked by U.S. courts, that sought to bar citizens from several majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S., part of his effort to protect U.S. borders from new terrorist attacks and impose "extreme vetting" on immigrants looking to settle in the country.

The airline said "the recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S.”

Emirates said it would trim service next month to two cities in Florida, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, from daily to five times a week. In June, it plans to cut twice-a-day service to Seattle and Boston to once a day and make the same reduction in flights to Los Angeles in July.</s>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, slashed its flights to the United States by 20 percent Wednesday, blaming a drop in demand on tougher U.S. security measures and Trump administration attempts to ban travelers from some Muslim-majority nations.

The Dubai government-owned carrier’s decision is the strongest sign yet that new measures imposed on U.S.-bound travelers from the Mideast could be taking a financial toll on fast-growing Gulf carriers that have expanded rapidly in the U.S.

Dubai was one of 10 cities in Muslim-majority countries affected by a ban on laptops and other personal electronics in carry-on luggage aboard U.S.-bound flights.

Emirates’ hub at Dubai International Airport, the world’s third-busiest, is also a major transit point for travelers who were affected by President Donald Trump’s executive orders temporarily halting entry to citizens of six countries.

The latest 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 also included Iraqi citizens, it has been blocked from taking effect by the courts.

Emirates said the flight reductions will affect five of its 12 U.S. destinations, with the first cutbacks starting next month.

“The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S.,” the carrier said in a statement.

Emirates does not provide financial data for its U.S. operations or individual routes, but said it had seen “healthy growth and performance” there until the start of the year.

Since Trump has been in office, however, there has been what it called “a significant deterioration in the booking profiles on all our U.S. routes, across all travel segments.”

It said it is responding as “any profit-oriented enterprise would” and will use the capacity freed up by the culled routes elsewhere on its network.

The Americas region, which also includes routes to Canada and Latin America, accounted for 14 percent of the $22.75 billion in revenue Emirates pulled in during the fiscal year through the end of March 2016.

Emirates’ half-year profit fell 75 percent to $214 million in the last period the company has disclosed, through last September — before the U.S. election. Executives cited increased investments including aircraft purchases and the repayment of bonds, and said a “bleak” economic outlook in many parts of the world was reducing travel demand.

Robert Mann, an aviation consultant in Port Washington, New York, said business travel between the U.S. and the Middle East has clearly been hurt by the ban on gadgets, while the attempted visa bans have put a damper on leisure travel from the countries targeted.

“Neither factor is a good thing for the Middle Eastern carriers who are primarily affected,” he said.

The cuts will reduce the number of U.S.-bound flights from Dubai to 101, down from 126 currently.

Twice daily Emirates flights to Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle will fall to once a day. Daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando will be pared to five per week.

Andrew Lannon, a Canadian attorney based in Dubai, arrived in Fort Lauderdale for vacation on an Emirates flight Wednesday and said passengers had to check their electronics, which made the 18-hour flight difficult because he couldn’t work.

Passengers were then told upon landing they would have to wait on the plane for an hour while their bags were checked, but were then let off after 20 minutes, Lannon said, adding that it took another hour for most passengers to clear customs.

Kevin Mitchell, head of the Business Travel Coalition in the U.S., said all the Gulf carriers are probably losing business because of the security measures and attempted travel bans, and that will hurt consumers.

“For consumers it means higher prices, fewer choices, less connectivity,” Mitchell said.

Like its smaller Gulf rivals Qatar Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Emirates has ramped up its U.S. presence and recently launched a new service to Newark via Athens.

Several big U.S. carriers and their pilot unions have bristled at the Gulf airlines’ U.S. push, accusing them of flooding the market with capacity while receiving billions of dollars of unfair government subsidies.

Emirates and its Gulf rivals deny the allegations.

Despite a vigorous lobbying and public relations campaign, the U.S. carriers were unable to persuade the Obama administration to block further expansion by Gulf airlines. But U.S. airline executives made a personal pitch to restrict their access during a White House meeting with Trump earlier this year.

Jill Zuckman, a spokeswoman for the “Partnership for Open & Fair Skies” campaign opposing more U.S. routes for the Gulf carriers, was quick to seize on Emirates’ decision.

“The fact is, market demand has never played a role when the Gulf carriers decide where to fly. It is well known that the Gulf carriers, including Emirates, lose money on most of their flights to the United States and are propped up by billions of dollars in government cash,” she said.

The U.S. travel industry, already fretting that the ban on travelers from a number of Muslim-majority nations is affecting foreign travel generally to the United States, expressed fresh concern after Emirates’ announcement, however.

“The aftermath of 9/11 taught us that we can’t take either global understanding or U.S. market share for granted,” said Jonathan Grella, executive vice president the U.S. Travel Association. “Every limiting security message needs to be offset by a sincere welcome to legitimate, lawful travelers.”

Associated Press writer Joan Lowy in Washington, David Koenig in Dallas and Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale contributed reporting.</s>Emirates Airline is cutting back on flights to the United States because policies introduced by President Trump's administration have hurt bookings.

"Emirates can confirm that we will be reducing flights to five of the 12 U.S. cities we currently serve," said a spokesman for the Dubai-based airline.

Daily flights from Dubai to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando will be cut to five a week. Flights to Seattle, Boston and Los Angeles will now be once a day, instead of twice.

Emirates and the other Gulf carriers, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, have been in the firing line of new U.S. policies on immigration and security.

Trump signed a revised executive order last month banning citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entry. It was struck down by the courts, but the U.S. administration said it will appeal the decision.

Following the travel ban, the U.S. slapped 9 airlines flying from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa -- including the three Gulf carriers -- with an order prohibiting larger electronic devices in the cabin of aircraft.

Emirates allows passengers to check in their devices at the gate and offers loaner laptops to premium travelers. But that hasn't prevented a fall in the number of people wanting to fly with the airline to the U.S.

"Over the past three months, we have seen a significant deterioration in the booking profiles on all our U.S routes, across all travel segments," Emirates said in a statement.

"The recent actions taken by the U.S. 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 U.S."

The Gulf airlines have enjoyed rapid growth in their U.S. operations in recent years.

Delta Air (DAL), United Airlines (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) have repeatedly complained that state subsidies have given the Gulf carriers an unfair advantage. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways all deny the accusation.

The American carriers want the U.S. government to review the Open Skies agreements that allow their Gulf rivals to fly freely from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to any U.S. destination.

Speaking to CNNMoney last month, Emirates President Tim Clark rejected suggestions that the U.S. may have introduced the electronics ban as a way of hurting the American carriers' big rivals.

But Emirates isn't the only one feeling the pain. Qatar Airways has also been hit by the U.S. restrictions.

CEO Akbar Al Baker told CNNMoney it had seen a drop in demand, but bookings were only down by less than 10 per flight. Al Baker said the electronics ban would not make flying to the U.S. any safer.
Citing a drop in demand, the Dubai-based, United Arab Emirates-owned airline Emirates Air announces a cut in flights to five of its 12 U.S. destinations. The airline’s Dubai hub, third-busiest in the world, is a major stop for travelers in countries affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban, and is also one of several Middle East airports affected by a U.S. ban on tablets, laptops, and similar devices in the passenger cabin.