Alexander MacDonald, a 30-year-old passenger from England, was ordered to pay United Airlines over $20,000 after a flight he was on had to divert due to his disruptive behavior. He pleaded guilty to one count of flight interference following an incident on a flight from London to Newark on March 1. According to an affidavit, MacDonald began arguing with his girlfriend during the flight, which led to a flight attendant asking him to calm down. Despite initially complying, MacDonald later threatened and physically confronted a crew member, prompting the flight to divert to Bangor, Maine.
During the incident, MacDonald threatened to “mess up the plane” and was verbally and physically aggressive towards the flight crew. Despite being restrained by crew members and passengers, the captain made the decision to divert the plane with 160 passengers on board. A judge in the US District Court of Maine ordered MacDonald to be deported back to the UK and to pay $20,738, with $20,638 going to United Airlines.
This incident is part of a larger trend of unruly passenger behavior on flights, which significantly increased in 2021 as aviation returned from COVID disruptions. Although the number of incidents has been gradually declining, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. As of April 21, there have been 598 reports of unruly passengers this year, indicating a potential 80% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. United Airlines declined to comment on the incident involving Alexander MacDonald.