30-year-old Alexander MacDonald from England was recently ordered to pay United Airlines over $20,000 after causing a flight to divert to Bangor International Airport in Maine. MacDonald 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. 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. In addition