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 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. 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. "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 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. Advertisement

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. 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. 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.
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.