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Muslim family refused permission to board LA flight at Gatwick
A Muslim family was denied permission to board a Norwegian Airlines flight from London to Los Angeles.
Mohammed Zahid Mahmood, eight members of his family and two other children were turned away at the departure gate at Gatwick.
The family, which had spent £8,000 to £9,000 on tickets, had all been granted travel authorisation under the US visa waiver programme more than a month ago. They had been planning to fly to LA to see Mr Mahmood’s brother and were taking two of his children with them.
However, Mr Mahmood from Walthamstow in east London said the family was singled out by Border Control just before the final check and told it couldn’t board the flight.
He told the BBC that Border guards claimed they had received a call from Washington DC barring the family from the flight.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Airlines said: "We can confirm that a group of passengers were denied the right to board a flight from London Gatwick to Los Angeles yesterday at the request of US Homeland security. Norwegian fully complies with requests from the border controls of each country we serve."
The airline said the family would not receive a refund as airlines have to comply with border control requests.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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