WASHINGTON, March 19: A Pakistani and his son have filed a complaint with US federal officials claiming they were removed from a flight because of their appearance. Fazal Khan, 59, and Mohammed Khan, 28, boarded a SkyWest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Oakland, California, on Jan 31, 2006, wearing white skullcaps, tunics and loose trousers. Both men also have long beards.

Attorney Shirin Sinnar of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in San Francisco said the men had been told to leave their seats before the flight took off and escorted back to the terminal.

“They were essentially told, ‘You can’t take this flight because the flight attendant is uncomfortable’,” the lawyer said.

The men took a later flight to San Francisco International Airport. SkyWest, a regional feeder airline, operates some flights booked with the United Express service of United Airlines.

United Airlines spokesman Jeff Green said the company was investigating the complaint. Utah-based SkyWest is responsible for staff on the aircraft, he said.