'Belligerent' United Airlines passenger ordered to pay $20K to carrier, TSA says
United Airlines passenger had been in custody since the March 1 incident
A United Airlines passenger is being forced to pony up tens of thousands of dollars after being fined for his "belligerent, threatening, and intimidating" behavior during a flight in March.
Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, was sentenced for interfering with a flight crew during a United flight that diverted to Bangor International Airport in Maine on March 1. The flight was traveling from London to Newark, New Jersey.
MacDonald, who is from Chelmsford, England, pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to time already served. He has been in custody since the incident. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker also ordered MacDonald to pay $20,638 in restitution to the airline.
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During the flight, MacDonald began arguing with his traveling companion and causing a disturbance, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said, citing court documents.
A Boeing Dreamliner aircraft operated by United Airlines takes off from Sydney in November 2021. (Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him down but "he became belligerent, threatening, and intimidating towards them," according to the court documents.
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When the international purser — the designated onboard leader of the aircraft — intervened, MacDonald "became belligerent and intimidating toward him as well" and also said that he would "mess up the plane."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 54.76 | -0.20 | -0.36% |
The passenger was eventually restrained in flex cuffs while the flight was diverted.
United Airlines told FOX Business that police removed "two disruptive customers who appeared to be intoxicated." Both of the passengers are banned from all future United flights.
About 150 passengers and 10 crew members were on board.
The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case.
FOX Business reached out to United for comment.