9 Muslims get airline apology after kicked off plane

WASHINGTON — AirTran Airways apologized Friday to nine Muslims kicked off a New Year's Day flight to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security.

One of the ejected passengers said the confusion started at Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C., when he talked about the safest place to sit on an airplane.

Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran said it refunded the passengers' airfare and planned to reimburse them for replacement tickets they bought on US Airways. AirTran also offered to take the passengers back to Washington, D.C., for free.

"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 statement said.

AirTran said the incident was a misunderstanding but the steps taken were necessary.

Two U.S. Muslim advocacy groups were critical of the airline's actions. The Muslim Public Affairs Council called on federal officials Friday to open an investigation, and the Council for American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint with the U.S. 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."

Bill Adams, a Transportation Department spokesman, said the department 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.

He said that when his group was boarding Thursday, he mentioned something to his wife and sister-in-law about having to sit in the back. His sister-in-law said she believed the back of the airplane was safest, but Irfan believed it was better to be by the wings.

"She said, 'Yes, I guess it makes sense not to be close to the engine in case something happens,' " Irfan recalled Friday. "It was a very benign conversation."

Shortly after taking their seats, members of the group were approached by federal air marshals and taken off the plane, Irfan said. They stood in the jet bridge connected to the airport and answered questions while other passengers exited and glared.

Irfan said he thought he and the others were profiled because of their appearance. The men had beards and the women wore head scarves, traditional Muslim attire.

"My wife and I are generally very careful about what we say when we step on the plane," he said.

Irfan, 29, is a lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Va. He, his wife and sister-in-law were traveling to a religious retreat in Florida, along with six others: his brother; his brother's three boys, ages 7, 4 and 2; his sister-in-law's sister; and a family friend. All but one are U.S.-born citizens.

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.

Family members were upset that AirTran didn't allow them to book another flight.

Christopher White, a federal Transportation Security Administration spokesman, said the security concern on the plane was handled appropriately.

Information from The Washington Post is included in this report.