A British national who forced a United Airlines plane flying from London to the New York City area to be diverted to Maine earlier this year has been ordered to reimburse the airline over $20,000 for interfering with flight crew.
Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Bangor for interfering with a flight crew, according to the Transportation Security Administration. He was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay $20,638 in restitution. He had been in custody since his arrest and pleaded guilty on March 22.
The charge stemmed from an incident on a United Airlines flight that diverted to Bangor International Airport on March 1.
According to court records, MacDonald was a passenger aboard United Flight 883 traveling from Heathrow Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. While the flight was in U.S. airspace, he reportedly began arguing with his traveling companion and causing a disturbance. When flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him down, they said "he became belligerent, threatening and intimidating towards them."
When the lead flight attendant intervened, MacDonald became belligerent and intimidating toward him as well and said he would "mess up the plane." When his conduct continued, he was restrained in flex cuffs and the flight was diverted to Bangor.
The 148 other passengers on the flight continued on to Newark after the pair who prompted the diversion were removed and banned from future United flights pending a review of the matter, the airline said at the time.
The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bangor police investigated the case.
