Spirit Airlines has responded to a leading Muslim group’s demand for an apology after four people were removed from a Chicago-bound flight Tuesday when a passenger complained one of them was watching a news report.
“We do not tolerate discrimination or remove passengers because of where they are from, their ethnicity, or their religion,” the airline said in a statement. “The passenger in question was removed from the flight because of his behavior, which was breaking airline and FAA rules during the taxiing process, and refusing to cooperate with crew instructions. Law Enforcement was called and they chose to remove others who were traveling with the passenger who was breaking the rules.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its Chicago chapter called on the airline to issue a public apology after passengers reported the people removed from the plane appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent.
"Americans of all faiths and ethnicities should be able to travel freely without being harassed or subjected to unconstitutional racial or religious profiling,” CAIR said in a statement. “These passengers were inconvenienced and forced to endure humiliating treatment and invasive questioning for no apparent substantial reason other than because their perceived ethnicity caused alarm in a fellow passenger. We call on Spirit Airlines to issue a public apology to all four passengers and take steps to ensure this does not happen again."
Spirit Airlines Flight 969 was leaving Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport when "a passenger alerted a flight attendant of a passenger engaged in suspicious activity on board," airlines spokesman Stephen Schuler said.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police spokesman 1st Sgt. Jonathan Green told NBC Chicago the passenger saw another passenger "watching a media report at that time and that's what concerned her."
Green said the captain asked police to remove three men and a woman from the plane. Those people were interviewed and later released, he said.
U.S. & World
Multiple passengers told NBC Chicago the people removed from the plane appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent.
"The passengers that were called off certainly handled it well," said witness Tilesha Northern. "I would perceive it as something one could have gotten offended about."
All passengers were eventually deplaned after the incident.
"This basically was a see something, say something situation," Green said, adding that the flight's delay was "in the interest of public safety."
Once the Transportation Security Administration cleared the plane and luggage, the flight departed for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after 9 a.m., according to Schuler. It had been scheduled to leave at 6 a.m.
"You just never know and I definitely don’t fault Spirit," said passenger Frank Sheffield. "I’m glad for the inconvenience. I’d rather be a little late. At least we got here."
