The TSA determined that British Airways followed proper procedures in checking the man's name against the no-fly list. It was only after the plane took off that the airline sent the passenger manifest to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which matched the name against the list.


"The flight returned to Heathrow after we received a request from the U.S. authorities saying that a passenger aboard the aircraft was not to be allowed to land in New York," an airline spokesman said. "We stress that there was no threat to the safety of the aircraft."


Passengers were rescreened, and the plane took off again for New York, British Airways spokesman Honor Verrier said.


It is standard procedure for international flights leaving for the United States to send their passenger manifests after the plane takes off, but the U.S. government wants to change that practice so the manifests are sent beforehand.


A federal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appears the passenger was not initially discovered because the airline did not have the latest version of the no-fly list. The distribution system changed recently and the passenger was added to the list in late December, the official said.