Sikh actor who was barred from boarding flight because of his turban finally heads back to New York

Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia who was barred from boarding a plane in Mexico earlier this week after refusing to take off his turban during a security screening was finally heading home to New York Wednesday.

Ahluwalia’s return to the US comes after a very public two-day standoff with Aeromexico, which ended Tuesday night with the airline capitulating to the actor's demands.

Ahluwalia had declared earlier that he would not leave Mexico until the airline agreed to implement sensitivity training on how to treat Sikh passengers.

Aeromexico officials on Tuesday issued an apology to Ahluwalia, which he accepted but still refused to budge.

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Cleared for takeoff: Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia is seen in this Instagram photo posing with two Aeromexico pilots on his way home to New York Wednesday after the airline promised to change its security protocols 

Later that day, Ahluwalia got word from Aeromexico that the airline will be overhauling its screening protocols.

In an interview at a Mexico City hotel where he ended up extending his stay by two nights, Ahluwalia said he was 'thrilled' by this turn of events, and also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support on social media that he believes helped pressure airline executives to change and apologize.

Ahluwalia showed an excerpt from an email that he said came from Aeromexico. The text said the airline had ‘issued a directive to its staff regarding the religious significance of the Sikh turban’ and planned to ask that the US Transportation Security Administration and the Mexican government implement sensitivity training on religious headwear for airport agents.

‘That's all I wanted, and here it is in a few lines - it's right there in black and white,’ he said. ‘I'm getting goosebumps right now that if this makes a difference for anyone traveling into the country or leaving the country, then it was all worth it.’

He said the agreement had been worked out by lawyers for Aeromexico and the Sikh Coalition in New York and the deal had not yet been made public.

Aeromexico said earlier in the day that because of the incident it intended to revise security protocols to respect cultural and religious values of its customers.

Ahluwalia, 41, told CNN earlier that Aeromexico's apology was 'a brilliant start' but that he would remain in Mexico until he can talk with the airline's bosses

Ahluwalia said he isn't angry with Aeromexico or the airport staffers who turned him away.

‘The only way to combat that is with love, is with tolerance, is with understanding and is with education,’ he said.

He noted he was booked to return home Wednesday on the same Aeromexico flight he was blocked from.

‘The reality of the situation is that it could have happened anywhere - and it has happened everywhere,’ Ahluwalia said. ‘It just so happened it went this far here.’

On Wednesday morning, Ahluwalia posted a photo on his Instagram page depicting the bearded actor, model and designer posing with two Aeromexico pilots, one of them flashing a 'thumbs up’ sign.

‘Heading home this morning,’ he wrote. ‘Thank you @aeromexico for understanding the importance of religious and cultural tolerance. I am happy we were able to work together to come up with a resolution.’

Harsimran Kaur, the legal director for the civil-right group Sikh Coalition, told the New York Times that Ahluwalia passed through security without incident this morning.

‘He told us that the check was smooth,’ she said. ‘We understand he was not asked to remove his turban.’ 

Ahluwalia, who has appeared in Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Darjeeling Limited and The Life Aquatic, took to Instagram on Monday morning uploading a photo of himself holding up his now-useless Aeromexico plane ticket.

Ahluwalia said on Instagram he was barred from boarding a flight bound for New York on Monday because he refused to remove his turban

Ahluwalia, pictured in Mexico City, has chosen not to leave until he can talk to Aeromexico's bosses about how they can train their employees to avoid similar issues in the future

A post that accompanied the image read: 'This morning in Mexico City I was told I could not board my @aeromexico flight to NYC because of my turban. #FearisanOpportuntytoEducate #humanright #dignity #lovenotfear.' 

Ahluwalia's plane ticket, seen in his Instagram selfie, shows that the actor was scheduled to travel first class on board Aeromexico Flight 404 from Mexico City to New York City at around 7am Monday.

The code 'SSSS' on the face of the ticket indicates that Ahluwalia had been randomly pre-selected for a secondary security screening.  

Speaking to the New York Daily News on Monday morning, Ahluwalia recounted how security personnel at Mexico City International Airport initially searched his bag, swabbed him for explosives residue and patted down his feet.

'Then they asked me matter-of-factly, "Can you take off your turban?"' Ahluwalia said. 'At that point I said the thing that I always say when I've been asked that before. I said, "I will not be taking my turban off here."'

Ahluwalia said he was then told he would not be boarding any Aeromexico plane and should arrange to fly with another carrier.

that is when he turned to Instagram to let his followers know what had happened. Word spread rapidly on social media, and within about an hour airline executives tracked him down at the gate and offered him a boarding pass for the next flight to New York.

He declined, deciding to speak up as an actor and prominent member of the Sikh community to demand change.

The actor, pictured left posing in Mexico City International Airport, says security personnel prohibited him from getting on the plane after he refused to remove his article of faith in public

'That was the moment I realized that if I didn't say anything, if I didn't do anything, if I didn't step out of my comfort zone, that this could happen again to someone' else, Ahluwalia said. 'And I couldn't in good conscience get on that plane knowing that someone else would have to experience this.'

Ahluwalia, who is also a successful jewelry designer with the New York-based House of Waris, later posted another selife from the airport along with a message that read: 'Dear NYC fashion week. I may be a little late as @aeromexico won't let me fly with a turban. Don't start the show without me.'  

On Tuesday morning, Aeromexico posted a statement on its website apologizing to Ahluwalia.  

The actor told CNN the apology was 'a brilliant first step' but more was needed to avoid further misunderstandings from now on.

'Really, this is about education, about education of the Sikh religion, but also of other religions, and this is not just about me or Sikhs,' he said. 

The current US Transportation Security Administration's regulations read: 'Persons wearing head coverings, loose fitting or bulky garments may undergo additional security screening, which may include a pat-down. A pat-down will be conducted by a TSA officer of the same gender.

'If an alarm cannot be resolved through a pat-down, you may ask to remove the head covering in a private screening area.'

Wes Anderson's muse: Ahluwalia appeared in Wes Anderson's 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited, which takes place in his native India 

In good company: The Sikh actor (far right) also had a role in Anderson's The Life Aquatic starring Bill Murray (center) and Anjelica Huston (right of Murray)

Ahluwalia, who said the airline's reaction had left him anxious and shaking, told CNN he wasn't angry at Aeromexico.

'They did not know,' he said. 'I cannot blame them for that, but ignorance and fear is the flag humans carry, and we have to be vigilant to fight that.'

The airline previously said the incident has motivated it to 'strengthen the customer service protocols of our safety personnel in respectful accordance with the cultural and religious values of our customers.'

This is not the first time that Ahluwalia has been targeted because of his faith.

In 2013, he became the first Sikh man to appear in an advertising campaign for GAP. A short time later, several billboards featuring Ahluwalia sporting a beard and turban were vandalized with racist graffiti.

The slogan for the national retailer's holiday campaign was 'Make Love' but one person scrawled over a poster that appeared in The Bronx, 'Make Bombs.'

The offensive scribbles also included the line: 'Please stop driving taxis!' 

In 2013, posters featuring Ahluwalia as part of a holiday ad campaign for GAP were defaced with racist graffiti in New York