WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2009
Airline Apologizes For Booting Muslims
9 Passengers Receive Refunds After AirTran Kicked Them Off Plane For "Suspicious Remark"
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One of the passengers says the confusion started at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when his brother was talking about the safest place to sit on an airplane.
"My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Kashif Irfan, one of the Muslim passengers, said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.'"
In a statement Friday, Orlando-based AirTran says it refunded the air fare for the nine passengers and planned to reimburse them for replacement tickets they bought on another airline.
The airline said the incident on the flight to Orlando was a misunderstanding, but the steps taken were necessary.
AirTran also apologized to 95 other passengers whose flight was delayed by the incident.
After the Muslim passengers were removed, Federal officials ordered the rest of the passengers from the plane and re-screened them before allowing the flight to depart, about two hours behind schedule.
"It Escalated … And Everyone Took Precautions"
Earlier, AirTran Airways spokesman Tad Hutcheson called the incident a misunderstanding, but defended the company's response. He said the airline followed federal rules and did nothing wrong.
Irfan told the Washington Post 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, 34, is an anesthesiologist and his brother is a lawyer. Both live in Alexandria, Virginia, with their families, and were born in Detroit. They were traveling with their wives, Irfan's sister-in-law and Irfan's three sons, ages 7, 4 and 2. A family friend also was traveling with the group to a religious retreat in Florida.
The Post said that five of the six adults were of South Asian descent and that all but one was born in the U.S.
The family was upset that AirTran didn't allow the Muslim passengers to book another flight. The airline said in a news release Friday that one of the passengers became irate, made inappropriate comments and had to be escorted away from a gate podium by local law enforcement.
"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," Inayet Sahin, one of the family members kicked off the flight, told CNN. "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' and they still refused."
The family and friend eventually made it to their destination on a U.S. Airways flight.
Hutcheson said AirTran initially refused to rebook the family because the airline had not been notified the investigation was complete. He said the passengers were offered full refunds and are now welcome to fly on AirTran after being cleared by authorities.
"At the end of the day, people got on and made comments they shouldn't have made on the airplane, and other people heard them," Hutcheson said. "Other people heard them, misconstrued them. It just so happened these people were of Muslim faith and appearance. It escalated, it got out of hand, and everyone took precautions."
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 on board remove the individuals. TSA then alerted authorities, including the FBI, which conducted an investigation. Once authorities determined there was no threat, it was up to the airline whether to allow the family to reboard.
"If the pilot is uncomfortable with someone flying on their plane, that's their decision," White said.
A spokesman for the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
One of the passengers removed, Abdur Razack Aziz, said he will consider a lawsuit.
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 104 Comments
- Is there some way I can cash in on a similar set of standards for racial profiling against an aging, slightly overweight, white woman?
Posted by leeanna58 at 12:41 AM : Jan 05, 2009
Yeah. Eat even more, get fat and get on the plane. When they force you to buy 2 seats due to your fat azz--claim discrimination. Now...your situation will be comparable to Muslim or other racial profiling, when they kick you off the plane and won''t let you get on another flight. The fact is--if those people had been white teens or any other white person and had made those comments--most people (including the pilot and airline personnel) would have not made a peep. I have overheard people talking about the safety of the plane and how old the jet is, or saying they think they see fire out of the engines--and no one has removed them. This is racial profiling and it should stop. - Reply to this comment
- At least what this particular airline didn''''t do was make a profit. Refund of tickets plus reimbursement for the tickets bought from the other airline. What better way than this to benefit your competitor
Posted by nincomp
As I see it, the Muslims now have a new ploy as a way to get free air travel. All they have to do is make semi suspicious comments while boarding, get kicked off, become inulted, and the airlines will bend over backwards to placate them so that they won''t have to face a lawsuite for racial profiling.
Is there some way I can cash in on a similar set of standards for racial profiling against an aging, slightly overweight, white woman? - Reply to this comment
- THE AIRLINE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO THROW POTENTIAL THREATS OFF THE PLANE! SAFETY FIRST! SO WHAT IF THEIR "FEELINGS" GOT HURT.
Posted by darnedsocks at 02:50 PM : Jan 03, 2009
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At least what this particular airline didn''t do was make a profit. Refund of tickets plus reimbursement for the tickets bought from the other airline. What better way than this to benefit your competitor - Reply to this comment
- According to the article...:
White said the pilot, after being informed of the remarks, requested that two federal air marshals on board remove the individuals. TSA then alerted authorities, including the FBI, which conducted an investigation. Once authorities determined there was no threat, it was up to the airline whether to allow the family to reboard.
"If the pilot is uncomfortable with someone flying on their plane, that''s their decision," White said.
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i find that hard to believe. there seems to be great potential for a discrimination lawsuit... - Reply to this comment
- If you utter words that sound suspicious, then you yourself are just asking for it whether you be a christian, Buddhist or Muslim. In the world today, you just can''t go around doing stuff like that. So now they will consider a lawsuit! I hope all judges will throw out such cases because if you have not opened your mouth, you won''t be the one thrown off a plan, whether it be man, woman, boy or girl and regardless of color or creed. You asked for it.
- Reply to this comment
- Your thinking is called Liberalism. bury your head and hope for the best.
How many christians are killing around the world?
How many Muslims are killing since 911? is it over 13,000 and counting?
awwwwwwww! More scare tactics. Hey, the finger is bleeding so let''s not bandage it, let''s cut the arm off instead. No dont bury your head but watch your surroundings. A simple answer to your question about how many christian have killed since 9/11 is answered with another question - How many Christians have killed in Iraq? 13,000 people killed since 9/11. How many Iraqi(Muslims) Nationals have been killed since 2002? 100,000? 200,000? But I forgot, we Christian shouldnt care about that because they worship a god named "Allah" and not called "Lord or God." I guess Jesus said it best, in Matthew 7:21-23 - Reply to this comment
- Those muslims could have been of any other known Religion also, Fortunately, Good American Citizens who over heard "the words that were said by those Muslims" is the REASON they were detained and questioned....useing the wrong words at the wrong time and place is very CRITICAL..."GOD BLESS THE PEOPLE THAT ALERTED THE AUTHORITES TO INVESTIGATE THE MATTER" COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF "ANY" RELIGION. THE MATTER WAS INVESTIGATED AND RESOLVED IN PROPER MANNER AND RESOLVED. WHAT ALL THIS STINK IS ABOUT IS
PURE NONSENSE..MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLE HILL.WHAT DO THEY WANT TO DO NOW? SUE? HA HA HA HA HA - Reply to this comment
- Posted by republic76
By the way the Republicans destroyed the world''s economies! Just in case you forgot. - Reply to this comment
- If you think the people/person sitting next to you on the plane is up to no good tell a flight attendant and then REQUEST TO LEAVE THE AIRPLANE YOURSELF!
- Reply to this comment
- THE AIRLINE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO THROW POTENTIAL THREATS OFF THE PLANE! SAFETY FIRST! SO WHAT IF THEIR "FEELINGS" GOT HURT.
- Reply to this comment
- I am looking through the window and I dont like what I am seeing. AMericans are becoming a nation of cowards afraid of their own shadow. Everywhere, people look they want to see a conspiracy, or plot. Fear rules this country now. The cat that jumps out the trash at night when you walk by is just a cat! Stand up and it will runaway. WE dont need color codes to tell us how scared we should be and when to hide under our mothers'' skirts! "IN THIS WE WILL DEFEND" does have meaning!!
As for those that think Muslims are the pit of evil, what about the christianity? I am more afraid of the ultra christian then I can every be of any Muslim or any other relgious sect. In fact, I will open my door to a Jehovah''s Witness quicker then I will to any so called "Christian." At least I know when the witness leaves I still have my wallet, and valuables in place and have not been raped by the so called "christian" and told I am going to hell if I dont give them my 10%. Okay, America let''s stop being scared of the boogieman in the closet and turn the light on! Or, we might as well become a bunch of Mama''s boys and hide in our houses.. - Reply to this comment
- get over it, if not for a white man you would not be on your keyboard wasting our time right now. You would of had nothing to eat last night,you would still be riding a donkey,no electric,no TV,no heat to keep warm,no car,no computer,and no handouts.
Posted by specialty8 at 10:44 AM : Jan 03, 2009
Specialty8 if this is not the biggest lie ever told. The reason the world is in peril now is because of the with mans greed. Please reply with he garbage I know you will. Funny for white men to be so intelligent, you believe anything. You really believe you made this country all by yourself, even though you came and slaugtered the indians, and then terrorized minorities for hundreds of years. Lets be honest, the war in Iraq, for WMD''s that were never found. Now lets get to the real truth, without black slaves during all the work to make this country you wouldn''t have s**t. Please respond so I can show you how truly ignorant you are. - Reply to this comment
- "Irfan told the Washington Post he thought he and the others were profiled because of their appearance. The men had beards and the women wore headscarves, traditional Muslim attire."
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Sue the hell out of those f.ri.gg.en racists that judge regular citizens by their cloths to conclude terrorists. Fight Racial and Religious profiling. Nazis like ChicagoRailA, may a speed train end your miserable life.
FREE America from the real terrorists. THIS IS THE RESULT OF 8 YEARS BRAINWASH BY THE D.I.C.K ADMINISTRATION PLANTING TERROR IN THE BRAINS OF THE NAIVE IN THE NAME OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO REAP PROFITS AT HALLIBURTON AND BLACKWATER. The mess we are currently living IS because of such abuse of power that put many innocent citizens on a stupid watch-list and taping private phone calls for many years. We have been living lie after lie for 8 years to wake up in deep depression. IMPEACH THEM. - Reply to this comment
- get over it, if not for a white man you would not be on your keyboard wasting our time right now. You would of had nothing to eat last night,you would still be riding a donkey,no electric,no TV,no heat to keep warm,no car,no computer,and no handouts.
Posted by specialty8 at 10:44 AM : Jan 03, 2009 - Reply to this comment
- What makes us a free people also makes us vulnerable. We can make ourselves more secure, but only at the cost of some of our liberties. Once we give those up, we are unlikely to get them back.
%u03C4%u03BF %u03BA%u03CC%u03C3%u03C4%u03BF%u03C2 %u03C4%u03B7%u03C2 %u03B5%u03BB%u03B5%u03C5%u03B8%u03B5%u03C1%u03AF%u03B1%u03C2 %u03B5%u03AF%u03BD%u03B1%u03B9 %u03B5%u03C0%u03B1%u03B3%u03C1%u03CD%u03C0%u03BD%u03B7%u03C3%u03B7 - Reply to this comment
- Why didn''t they just take their seats and sit the hell down? There have been numerous times this has happened since 9-11 with Arabs moving from seat to seat. Grandstanding at its best. They knew what they were doing and they paid the price.
- Reply to this comment
- The supposedly-Great Emperor Bush II is proud of the paranoid racism both he, his court, and all neocon Fascist Nazi Republicans worthy of the name, have spread in the 8 years they have been in power.
Their efforts are worthy of the Nazi SS, the Gestapo, and the old Soviet KGB (now going by a more "respectable" name in Russia) in making citizens paranoid about anything and everything regarding "foreigners".
Meanwhile these very same neocon Fascist Nazi Republicans are telling us to gladly buy and consume poisonous and/or unsafe products made in a Still-Communist country (China), financially "rescue" mega-corporations and enrich GREEED and MISMANAGEMENT, and lose our jobs and our homes all in the name of "free markets"!!!
And the scientists at SETI wonder why no one in the entire UNIVERSE wants to talk to us!!!
SIG HEIL, 17 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!, BUSH!!! - Reply to this comment
- This airline when beyond being cautious, into the realm of paranoid racism. Having several air marshals on board was not enough to over come the fears of 2 teenage girls and their wild imagination.
This airline should be penalized monetarily for its disgusting treatment of its paying customers.
I will make a point to go out of my way to avoid any association with this airline. Boo AirTramp. - Reply to this comment
- ms1-1-1, if they do sue, it will be because of Jihadist terrorist sympathizers like you.
You''''re just an unemployed loser looking for a free buck; in a perfect America you would be on the next 1-way flight out of the country.
Posted by AlanW1077 at 10:29 AM : Jan 03, 2009
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The family that was removed from the plane consisted of one doctor and one lawyer, not exactly an unemployed loser. You might want to check facts before hitting your keyboard. - Reply to this comment
- They apologized. Give them a free trip and be done with it.
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