Disruptive Passenger Ordered to Pay United Airlines Over $20,000 for Disrupting Flight in March

By Trisha Andrada

May 03, 2024 02:48 AM EDT

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A passenger on a March United Airlines flight from London to Newark was sentenced to pay $20,638 in restitution after his violent outbursts forced the crew to reroute the aircraft to Maine.

United States prosecutors informed the court that the 30-year-old passenger had likewise been sentenced on April 25 to time already served.

Passenger Ordered to Pay Over $20,000 to United Airlines

The center of the case is Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald of Chelmsford, England.

Since his arrest upon his arrival at Bangor International Airport on March 1, he has been held in detention. On March 22, he entered a guilty plea to the felony charge of interfering with a flight crew, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.

According to an email sent to the New York Times by MacDonald's lawyer, Matthew D. Morgan, "He apologized for his actions in court and looks forward to returning home to his family in England."

The Passenger Was Verbally and Physically Violent

An affidavit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) states that the flight is UA 883, which departed from Heathrow Airport in London on March 1 and was headed to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

The lead flight attendant, the purser, overheard MacDonald "arguing loudly" with his girlfriend and requested that he speak more quietly. He consented, but the purser saw him ranting at another flight attendant a few minutes later.

At the time, the couple was reported to be intoxicated, according to the New York Post.

As stated in the affidavit, the purser attempted to soothe MacDonald, but the latter remained verbally and physically hostile. According to the affidavit, MacDonald threatened to "mess up the plane" and asked the purser if he wanted trouble.

The affidavit adds that the purser and another passenger used flexible handcuffs to detain MacDonald, but he remained uncooperative. As a result, the purser decided that the plane needed to land to ensure the crew's safety. The captain also thought it was too risky to keep flying to Newark.