(Adds passenger screening by Japan Airlines)
By Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Emirates airline has changed pilot and flight attendant rosters on flights to the United States following the sudden U.S. travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, highlighting the challenges facing airlines trying to deal with the new rules.
The world's largest long-haul carrier, which flies daily to 11 U.S. cities, has made "the necessary adjustments to our crewing, to comply with the latest requirements," an Emirates spokeswoman told Reuters by email on Sunday. She added U.S. flights continue to operate to schedule.
President Donald Trump on Friday suspended the entry of people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The decision caught airlines off guard, according to the International Air Transport Association .
"I cannot think of anything comparable. This brings a mix of administrative confusion, impact and uncertainty for many travellers as well as practical operational headaches and complexities for airlines in planning their flight programmes," independent aviation consultant John Strickland told Reuters.
The ban applies to pilots and flight attendants from the seven countries, even though all flight crew who are not U.S. citizens already need a special visa to enter the country.
Nicoley Baublies, from the German cabin crew union UFO, said the move was very unusual and meant uncertainty for airlines in terms of planning.
"Lufthansa has always ensured it has very diverse crews, with staff of different nationalities and that means that we are for the first time in decades having to look at where people come from," he told Reuters at Frankfurt airport.
A spokesman for Lufthansa said on Sunday it was too early to comment on the effects of the order but that airlines and passengers were required to follow the new rules.
Another Emirates spokeswoman said the impact of the ban on operations would be minimal. The airline employs over 23,000 flight attendants and about 4,000 pilots from around the world, including the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi said the airline had "taken steps to ensure there will be no issues for flights departing over the coming weeks."
Japan Airlines (JAL) on Monday said it had begun screening passengers from the countries affected Trump's travel ban before their departure for the United States.
JAL officials would contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to confirm whether pasengers would be allowed entry, a spokesman for Japan's second-biggest carrier said.