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This article was published 18/3/2011 (3909 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MONTREAL -- A Montrealer who has been stranded in Frankfurt since Tuesday after turning up on a no-fly list and being refused access to an Air Canada flight finally came home Friday. But because he returned with British Airways, the debacle could end up costing him dearly.
Mohammed Khan, a Canadian citizen, was returning to Montreal via Frankfurt from Bangladesh when an Air Canada agent told him he couldn't board a flight because he was on a "blacklist." Three or four other people named Mohammed Khan with the same birth date are on the list, he was told.
Yet he had no trouble boarding a British Airways flight from Montreal to London on Feb. 2.
He booked with Air Canada for the flight home because the connection through Frankfurt was faster, in theory. By Thursday, Canadian consular officials told him his name was cleared and he was free to fly back into Canada. But Khan said he was still not allowed to fly with Air Canada.
Anxious to get home to his wife and eight-year-old daughter who were concerned for his safety, Khan, who is unemployed, bought a pricey last-minute ticket from British Airways for $1,300. Consular officials suggested he try any airline but Air Canada, he said. As of 11 p.m. Thursday, he had still not heard anything from Air Canada.
Friday afternoon, Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said since Khan had been cleared, he could board Air Canada's flight to Montreal and all fees would be waived. At that point, Khan was already in the air with British Airways. British Airways was able to sell him a ticket at any time, officials said, but would only check if he was on a no-fly list once he was boarding, by which time Khan's name had been cleared.
-- Postmedia News