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 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.
“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.
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 thought the back of the airplane was the safest, but Irfan thought 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 said 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.
Irfan, 29, a lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Va., 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.
