Osama Bin Laden Makes Appearance Through British Airways Publicity Photo

(June 3) -- British Airways apologized for a photograph that showed a boarding pass made out in the name of Osama bin Laden.

The picture, published on the cover of British Airways' internal magazine, LHR News, showed an iPhone with an electronic boarding pass for bin Laden to fly from London to Washington, D.C., the Daily Mail reported.

"A mistake was made and we are working to find out how this occurred," British Airways said in a Twitter message in response to a tweet about the story. "Apologies for the error."

How did a photo of a boarding pass for Osama bin Laden end up in British Airways' internal magazine? The airline said it is investigating.

The person holding the bin Laden ticket was scheduled to fly on Oct. 26. He was booked into seat 7C -- a first-class spot that would entitle him to a flat bed and soft cotton pajamas on his journey, according to the British Airways website.

The article was meant to highlight a new service allowing passengers to download paperless boarding passes onto their iPhones. In the background of the photo, a smiling British Airways employee is checking in a passenger carrying an iPhone with a boarding pass.

The U.S. has tried to locate or kill bin Laden in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The terrorist leader is believed to be hiding in the mountainous region on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The FBI has a price on his head of as much as $25 million.

Many have taken the photo as a prank -- perhaps related to the company's ongoing dispute with labor unions. But some have taken a dimmer view.

"You would think they would know better," John DiScala, a blogger known as Johnny Jet, told ABC News. "There's nothing funny about Osama bin Laden."