Alexander MacDonald, a 30-year-old passenger from England, has been ordered to pay United Airlines over $20,000 after causing a flight to divert to Bangor, Maine. He pleaded guilty to one count of flight interference related to an incident that occurred on March 1 while he was flying from London to Newark. According to an affidavit seen by Business Insider, MacDonald was arguing with his girlfriend when he was asked to lower his voice by the flight purser. He initially calmed down, but then began yelling at another crew member in the back galley of the plane.
The situation escalated as MacDonald threatened to “mess up the plane” and became verbally and physically aggressive. Despite attempts by the flight crew and two passengers to restrain him, the captain decided to divert the plane with 160 passengers on board to Bangor International Airport in Maine. As a result of his actions, MacDonald was remanded to custody by a judge in the US District Court of Maine and is set to be deported back to the UK.
Unruly passenger behavior has been on the rise as aviation resumes post-COVID disruptions. In 2021, incidents of unruly passenger behavior doubled compared to 2020, and reports in 2022 are already 80% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with 598 incidents reported as of April 21. United Airlines declined