AirTran Airways issued an official apology to the nine-member Muslim family who was not permitted to board their flight on New Year's Day after some of the other passengers complained about overhearing remarks about the airplane’s security.

Apparently, things took a bad turn at Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C. after one of the Muslim passengers talked about which would be the safest place to sit in an airplane. In an interview with CNN, Atif Irfan, one of the Muslims booted off the flight to Florida, said they were careful to avoid "buzzwords" like "bomb" that would cause a security alert. Never mind “bomb,” if you are a Muslim, event he word “security” could get you in trouble.

AirTran, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc., issued a statement to apologize to the nine Muslims, refunded their airfare and also offered to fly the family home to Washington free.

"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," AirTran said in the statement. All the 104 passengers of the airplane were taken off the plane, re-screened. Six of the nine Muslims asked to be rebooked to Florida, where they were heading to a religious retreat. The Muslims family was also interviewed by the FBI and cleared of any wrongdoing.

The company acknowledged that the incident was a big misunderstanding, but underlined the fact that the steps taken by the security personnel were necessary because the security of the passengers is “paramount.” AirTran also emphasized that it complied with all Transportation Security Administration and Homeland Security directives.

The airlines company’s apology was well received by the Muslim family. One of its members, Kashif Irfan, said it was “a very generous gesture” and that he was "very appreciative and surprised" by it.