In JetBlue no-fly list mistake, toddler removed
| Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Officials say an 18-month-old girl was mistakenly pulled off a JetBlue flight before it left Fort Lauderdale because airline employees thought her name was on the US no-fly list.
An airline employee boarded the Newark, N.J.-bound flight before it departed Tuesday evening, telling the family their toddler was on the federal list that includes thousands of known or suspected terrorists.
JetBlue on Thursday blamed the problem on a computer glitch, saying employees were following proper protocol. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says the girl never was flagged by the agency.
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The child's parents told ABC affiliate WPBF they believe they were targeted because they are of Middle Eastern descent and the mother wears a hijab.
"We were put on display like a circus act because my wife wears a hijab," the baby's father told WPBF. He told the station that he thought his family was profiled because they're of Middle Eastern descent.
The family was cleared to re-board. But they declined, saying they were too embarrassed.
