Muslims receive airline apology
9 taken off flight over remarks
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WASHINGTON -
One of the passengers said the confusion started at Reagan National Airport in Washington when he talked about the safest place to sit on an airplane.
AirTran said it refunded the passengers' fares and planned to reimburse them for replacement tickets they bought on US Airways. AirTran also offered to take the passengers back to Washington free of charge.
"We apologize to all of the passengers - to the nine who had to undergo extensive interviews from the authorities and to the 95 who ultimately made the flight," the airline said. "Nobody on Flight 175 reached their destination on time on New Year's Day, and we regret it."
The airline said the incident on the flight from Washington to Orlando, Fla., was a misunderstanding but the steps were necessary.
Two US Muslim advocacy groups criticized the airline's actions. The Muslim Public Affairs Council called on federal officials yesterday to open an investigation. And the Council for American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation, saying "it is incumbent on any airline to ensure that members of the traveling public are not singled out or mistreated based on their perceived race, religion, or national origin."
Spokesman Bill Adams said the Transportation Department thoroughly investigates discrimination complaints but would not comment further.
One of the Muslim passengers, Atif Irfan, said the family appreciated the apology. "It's definitely nice to hear," he said.
Irfan said when he boarded the flight Thursday, he mentioned something to his wife and sister-in-law about having to sit in the back. His sister-in-law replied that she believed the back of the airplane was the safest, but Irfan believed it was better to be by the wings.
Shortly after taking their seats, the nine members of the group were approached by federal air marshals and taken off the plane, Irfan said. They stood in the jet bridge and answered questions from authorities while other passengers exited and glared at them.
Irfan said he thought he and the others were profiled because of their appearance. The men had beards and the women wore headscarves, traditional Muslim attire.
Irfan, 29, is a lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Va. He was traveling to a religious retreat in Florida with his wife, along with his brother and his family, including three children, ages 7, 4, and 2. They were joined by his brother's sister-in-law and a family friend.
Federal officials ordered the rest of the passengers from the plane and rescreened them before allowing the flight to depart about two hours behind schedule. The family and friend eventually made it to their destination on a US Airways flight.
Christopher White, a federal Transportation Security Administration spokesman, said the situation was handled appropriately. White said the pilot, after being informed of the remarks, requested that two federal air marshals remove the nine passengers. TSA then alerted authorities, including the FBI, which conducted an inquiry.
