AirTran Later Apologized For The Incident, Offered To Pay Expenses

What started out as a trip from Washington, DC to a religious retreat in Florida turned out to be nightmarish experience for a Muslim family, as they were interrogated by federal air marshals and an airline refused them passage.

Atif Irfan, traveling with relatives and a family friend last Thursday, said they were boarding an AirTran flight when overheard by other passengers, discussing which seats to sit in - specifically, which seats were "safer" - and reported what was misinterpreted as "suspicious" dialog to airline personnel.

Irfan, his family and friend were then escorted off the plane by federal air marshals who questioned them. But FBI officials found nothing amiss, and cleared the group to re-board - except AirTran would have no part of it. Irfan said, "They told us we cannot fly their airline."

Irfan and his fellow travelers were compelled to book a flight on another airline to make their journey. All of the other passengers and crew were re-screened before the flight was allowed to depart, putting it about two hours behind schedule, the BBC said.

"My wife and I are generally very careful about what we say when we step on the plane," Irfan said, adding that because of the men's beards and the women's traditional Muslim headscarves, they have received suspicious looks in the past. "We're used to this sort of thing -- but obviously not to this extent."

A statement later released by AirTran said, "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. We regret that the issue escalated to the heightened security it did, (but) the steps taken were necessary."

The airline also said it would reimburse the Muslim family for their tickets, and fly them back to Washington, DC for free.

FMI: www.airtran.com