Some flight crews barred from entering US: IATA

The last group of travelers allowed through the security check point inside Terminal 4 at San Francisco International Airport before police block the security check point off completely in San Francisco on Sunday. (Reuters)

CALIFORNIA/ DUBAI: A new ban on US travel for nationals of seven Middle Eastern countries caught the airline industry unprepared, with flight crews from those states also barred from entering, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Saturday.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has briefed the global trade group that passport-holders from states such as Iran and Iraq, including cabin crew, will be barred entry to the US, IATA said in an e-mail to its member airlines, seen by Reuters.
The e-mail underscores airlines’ confusion about the situation as well as the challenge some may face from crew scheduling. Airlines also stand to lose business: For instance, around 35,000 travelers from Iran visited the US in 2015, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
“Much of this development has come over the weekend and at a time when IATA’s Facilitation team has been on duty travel. Unfortunately, our response has been slower than we would have preferred,” the e-mail said. “A number (of questions) have yet to be resolved.”
The executive order by President Donald Trump bans travelers with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.
IATA was informed that lawful permanent residents of the US — or green-card holders — from those countries are not included in the ban.
However, a Trump administration official told reporters that green-card holders from the countries need to check with a US consulate to see whether they can return, causing some confusion for airlines, which still plan to follow CBP guidance.
Gulf airlines Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways said earlier on their websites that passengers would need a green card or diplomatic visa to enter the US.
Emirates airline has had to change flight attendant and pilot rosters on services to the US following the sudden travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, an airline spokeswoman said Sunday.
“The recent change to the US entry requirements for nationals of 7 countries applies to all travelers and flight operations crew,” the spokeswoman said in e-mailed comments. “We have made the necessary adjustments to our crewing, to comply with the latest requirements.”
Another spokeswoman later told Reuters by phone the impact of the roster changes on the airline would be minimal due to its diverse workforce.
Etihad Airways, based in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi, did not immediately comment on the impact of the ban on its flight crew.
A Qatar Airways spokeswoman directed Reuters to a statement on its website that said passengers would need a green card or diplomatic visa to enter the US Emirates and Etihad have a similar statement on their websites.
“To date, no Emirates crew has been impacted by the change,” the initial spokeswoman said. On Saturday, Emirates said that a “very small number” of its passengers traveling had been affected by the ban.
Emirates “continues to comply with the guidance provided to us by the US Customs and Border Protection” and US flights are operating to schedule, the airline said on Sunday.