Americans questioned by Southwest staff in Chicago for speaking Arabic before flight
- 8 years ago
CHICAGO — Ground staff for Southwest Airlines told two American citizens they could not board a fight because a fellow passenger complained their Arabic conversation scared him, the two men claim.
Philadelphia pizza shop owner Maher Khalil and his friend Anas Ayyad were about to board a flight home from Chicago Midway Airport, until they were held up by Southwest Airlines boarding agents. When Khalil and Ayyad asked for the reason, they were told a man boarding the plane said he heard them speaking in Arabic and was afraid to fly with them.
Not knowing what to do, the two quickly called 911 and had police come deal with the situation. After 20 minutes of questioning, the two were allowed back on the flight, which arrived in Philadelphia 10 minutes late. NBC10 reports Khalil told the Southwest agent "if that person doesn't feel safe, let them take the bus."
The two Palestinian-born Americans, who moved to the United States 15 years ago, say they were speaking in Arabic because Ayyad's English was not very good. When they finally boarded the plane, they say they were greeted with a mixed response of sympathy and dirty looks from the other passengers onboard.
Last week, four people were booted off a Spirit Airlines plane in Baltimore, after a passenger told flight attendants that a Middle-Eastern man was "acting suspiciously" because she saw him watching a news report on his smartphone while waiting for the plane to take off.
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Philadelphia pizza shop owner Maher Khalil and his friend Anas Ayyad were about to board a flight home from Chicago Midway Airport, until they were held up by Southwest Airlines boarding agents. When Khalil and Ayyad asked for the reason, they were told a man boarding the plane said he heard them speaking in Arabic and was afraid to fly with them.
Not knowing what to do, the two quickly called 911 and had police come deal with the situation. After 20 minutes of questioning, the two were allowed back on the flight, which arrived in Philadelphia 10 minutes late. NBC10 reports Khalil told the Southwest agent "if that person doesn't feel safe, let them take the bus."
The two Palestinian-born Americans, who moved to the United States 15 years ago, say they were speaking in Arabic because Ayyad's English was not very good. When they finally boarded the plane, they say they were greeted with a mixed response of sympathy and dirty looks from the other passengers onboard.
Last week, four people were booted off a Spirit Airlines plane in Baltimore, after a passenger told flight attendants that a Middle-Eastern man was "acting suspiciously" because she saw him watching a news report on his smartphone while waiting for the plane to take off.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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