Unruly behavior on board planes can result in heavy fines for passengers.
Just ask Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, of Chelmsford, England, who was ordered this week to pay United Airlines $20,638 for his excesses on a flight from London to Newark, New Jersey, in March.
The incident began when MacDonald, 30, was arguing loudly with his girlfriend, according to an affidavit. The situation quickly escalated and he began yelling at a flight attendant. He was both verbally and physically aggressive, according to court documents.
“When the flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him down, he became belligerent, threatening and intimidating toward them,” the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement announcing the fine. He also told the cabin crew chief that he would “mess up the plane,” according to court documents.
MacDonald was eventually restrained with flex cuffs and the flight, with 160 people on board, was diverted to Bangor, Maine. MacDonald pleaded guilty March 22 to one count of interfering with a flight crew and was also sentenced to time already served.
At the time of the incident, United said in a statement that the plane landed in Bangor “after two passengers, who appeared to be intoxicated, became disruptive.” Law enforcement removed the unidentified passengers from the flight, which restarted to land at Newark Airport.
Bad behavior on flights has increased during the pandemic, with tensions running high among passengers and flight crew over issues such as wearing masks.
In 2022, the FAA announced it was making permanent a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers.
“Unsafe behavior on an airplane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said at the time. “Unsafe behavior is simply not acceptable and maintaining our zero tolerance policy will help us continue to make progress in preventing and punishing this behavior.”
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