AIRTRAN HOLDINGS, INC. 
By
Our goal at AirTran Airways is to offer a safe, pleasant and positive
travel experience for all customers every day on every flight. We sincerely
regret that the passengers on flight 175 did not have a positive travel
experience on
Security is a shared responsibility and this incident highlights the multiple layers of security that are in place in today's aviation environment. While ultimately this issue proved to be a misunderstanding, the steps taken were necessary.
Alert passengers reported to the flight crew what they believed were inappropriate comments allegedly made by one of the passengers onboard, and the flight crew notified the federal air marshals that were assigned to the flight. The federal air marshals onboard contacted local and federal law enforcement officials who came to the gate and escorted the individuals in question off the aircraft to ensure they posed no threat to the flight. After deplaning the remaining passengers and performing a sweep of the aircraft and rescreening all passengers, crew, checked and carry-on baggage, the flight departed two hours late without the nine passengers who were detained for questioning.
We regret that the issue escalated to the heightened security level it did
on
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. Nobody on Flight 175 reached their destination on time on
The airline has refunded the air fares of the nine passengers detained for
questioning, has agreed to reimburse the passengers for expenses incurred by
taking another airline and has also offered to transport the passengers home
to
Media Contacts: AirTran Airways
Tad Hutcheson
678.254.7442
SOURCE AirTran Airways
