Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News
DEARBORN -- About 40 Muslim Metro Detroiters say they were stranded at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and given a series of differing explanations about why they could not board their Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
A spokesman for Northwest Airlines said this morning that the travelers, who were returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, reported to the gate about 20 minutes before their connecting flight was to take off. They were barred from making the trip by airline and international flight rules, he said.
But the Muslim travelers, including two imams, and their advocates -- the Council on American Islamic Relations -- adamantly rejected the airline's statement at a press conference today, saying flight rules are at least the third reason given for why the pilgrims could not board the Jan. 7 flight. They say they believe Northwest discriminated against the Muslims and left them on their own to find accommodations while trying to book other flights.
"We arrived at the gate at least an hour and 30 minutes before the departure," said Imam Sayed Hassan al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. "Others who came after us were allowed to board the airplane."
Qazwini, one of the most-prominent Muslim clergymen in the United States, and other travelers said airline staff in Frankfurt told them to stand to the side and offered no explanation for why they were not processed for boarding, despite the fact that at least some of them had boarding passes. Then, they say, they were told by airline and airport officials that the flight was overbooked.
They were later told, they said, that because their flight from Saudi Arabia to Frankfurt was a chartered flight, the information for the flight to Metro Airport was not properly recorded in computers.
But a spokesman for the airline today insisted that the problem was simply a matter of the travelers appearing too late at the gate.
"They showed up at the last minute," said Dean Breest, a spokesman for Northwest.
Qazwini said he hopes for an apology from the airline and that the travelers affected would be compensated by Northwest. Without a resolution to the issue, Qazwini said he would consider contacting other Muslims groups to urge a boycott of Northwest.
The airline released the following statement Tuesday:
"Northwest Airlines, as well as the airline industry and governmental agencies have set check-in and boarding deadlines to help ensure on-time departures for the traveling public.
"Northwest Airlines policy states that passengers must check in for international flights at least 60 minutes prior to departure and be onboard the aircraft at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. These passengers were denied boarding because they did not meet the standard check-in deadline."
You can reach Gregg Krupa at (313) 222-2359 or gkrupa@detnews.com.
DEARBORN -- About 40 Muslim Metro Detroiters say they were stranded at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany, and given a series of differing explanations about why they could not board their Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
A spokesman for Northwest Airlines said this morning that the travelers, who were returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, reported to the gate about 20 minutes before their connecting flight was to take off. They were barred from making the trip by airline and international flight rules, he said.
But the Muslim travelers, including two imams, and their advocates -- the Council on American Islamic Relations -- adamantly rejected the airline's statement at a press conference today, saying flight rules are at least the third reason given for why the pilgrims could not board the Jan. 7 flight. They say they believe Northwest discriminated against the Muslims and left them on their own to find accommodations while trying to book other flights.
"We arrived at the gate at least an hour and 30 minutes before the departure," said Imam Sayed Hassan al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. "Others who came after us were allowed to board the airplane."
Qazwini, one of the most-prominent Muslim clergymen in the United States, and other travelers said airline staff in Frankfurt told them to stand to the side and offered no explanation for why they were not processed for boarding, despite the fact that at least some of them had boarding passes. Then, they say, they were told by airline and airport officials that the flight was overbooked.
They were later told, they said, that because their flight from Saudi Arabia to Frankfurt was a chartered flight, the information for the flight to Metro Airport was not properly recorded in computers.
But a spokesman for the airline today insisted that the problem was simply a matter of the travelers appearing too late at the gate.
"They showed up at the last minute," said Dean Breest, a spokesman for Northwest.
Qazwini said he hopes for an apology from the airline and that the travelers affected would be compensated by Northwest. Without a resolution to the issue, Qazwini said he would consider contacting other Muslims groups to urge a boycott of Northwest.
The airline released the following statement Tuesday:
"Northwest Airlines, as well as the airline industry and governmental agencies have set check-in and boarding deadlines to help ensure on-time departures for the traveling public.
"Northwest Airlines policy states that passengers must check in for international flights at least 60 minutes prior to departure and be onboard the aircraft at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. These passengers were denied boarding because they did not meet the standard check-in deadline."
You can reach Gregg Krupa at (313) 222-2359 or gkrupa@detnews.com.
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