Daylife/AP photo by PR Newswire

AirTran officials meet the public

A Muslim family removed from an airliner Thursday after passengers became concerned about their conversation say AirTran officials refused to rebook them, even after FBI investigators cleared them of wrongdoing…

Atif Irfan said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend after passengers heard them discussing the safest place to sit and misconstrued the nature of the conversation.

Irfan, a U.S. citizen and tax attorney, said he was “impressed with the professionalism” of the FBI agents who questioned him, but said he felt mistreated when the airline refused to book the family for a later flight…

“The FBI agents actually cleared our names,” said Inayet Sahin, Irfan’s sister-in-law. “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.”

Irfan said he believes his family is owed an apology.

“Really, at the end of the day, we’re not out here looking for money. I’m an attorney. I know how the court system works. We’re basically looking for someone to say… ‘We’re apologizing for treating you as second-class citizens.’”

Air Trans tries to pass off this stupidity as the responsibility of Homeland Insecurity and the TSA. Personally, I don’t care which dimwit initiated the boorish behavior. When you get past whatever paranoia caused this family to be mistreated, you apologize and try to get their life and travels back on course – if you’re actually an airline worth doing business with.




  1. Greg Allen says:

    “Driving while Black” is so 90s. Now it is “Flying while Muslim.”

  2. Paddy-O says:

    ATA BKed recently. Wonder why.

  3. little black box says:

    But everybody knows the safest place to sit is the chair where the black box is hidden – as that is often the only part that is retrieve intact, and you should be strapped to it???

  4. Garry says:

    95% of the population are morons and make the life miserable for the reminding 5%.

  5. Angel H. Wong says:

    #4

    That also appllies to religious folk and the few who don’t thump at their rhythm.

  6. Animby says:

    “When you get past whatever paranoia caused this family to be mistreated, you apologize and try to get their life and travels back on course – if you’re actually an airline worth doing business with.”
    According to news reports, that’s exactly what the airline is trying to do. Offered to refund their ticket purchase and give them a free ride home. They say it was the pilot’s decision to have them removed but, by the time he was called upon to make the decision, the plane was surrounded by police, the family had been the subject of questioning by two air marshals (TWO? On a flight with only a hundred passengers?) If he’d allowed the family to fly at that point he would probably have had problems with the rest of the passengers. By the way, why did the air marshals get involved at all? They were still at the gate. Shouldn’t the police and/or FBI have handled it? (Note to future terrorists: To identify the air marshals on your flight, have a group of sacrificial lambs raise a ruckus while still at the gate.) SNAFU

  7. bobbo says:

    Muslims who aren’t terrorists???????

    Lawyers who won’t sue?????????

    FBI who “clears” someone?????????

    There is a whole lot of something fishy going on here.

  8. #7 – Bobo

    >>Muslims who aren’t terrorists???????

    Gosh, you’re such a bigot, Bobo. You should get out more.

  9. #2 – Paddy-RAMBO

    >>ATA BKed recently. Wonder why.

    AirTran is not the same thing as ATA. I realize all those little remote-controlled models look alike in Radio Shack, but ATA and AirTran are completely unrelated companies.

    It must suck to be a counter boy at the ‘Shack. You should get Mom to take you to the airport sometime and look at the big planes.


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