Tuesday 31 January 2017

Flight crew swap shifts in Trump ban



Major airlines including Deutsche Lufthansa and Emirates are modifying staff rosters to keep crew members from getting caught up in President Donald Trump's executive order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim states from entering the U.S.



Dubai-based Emirates, the world's largest long-haul carrier, said it has made "the necessary adjustments" as it says the Trump edict also applies to flight crew from the countries. Lufthansa, Europe's third-biggest airline, said it's having to adjust since the new U.S. policy also affects staff holding two passports.

Global airlines like Emirates and Lufthansa are among those most affected by the Trump ban since the seven countries targeted -- Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya -- have few or no direct American flights, compelling their citizens to connect via Western Europe and the Persian Gulf region. At KLM's Amsterdam hub, seven people with valid visas were turned away Saturday.

Carriers generally recruit cabin staff with language skills that reflect the nature of their route networks, so services to the Middle East and North Africa are more likely to have Arabic and Persian speakers who could be affected by the U.S.

(culled from www.nzherald.co.nz)

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