Results for: Unruly Passengers

An incident involving a drunken passenger’s abusive behavior towards a family with young children on a recent flight to Tenerife has sparked concerns about the rise in unruly behavior by passengers. The passenger’s verbal assault and his aggression towards other children on the flight highlight the increasing problem of disruptive and abusive behavior on flights. The family’s experience and the lack of consequences for the offending passenger raise questions about the effectiveness of current policies and the need for stricter sanctions against those who break aviation laws.

Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, a 30-year-old British citizen, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker to time served and ordered to reimburse United Airlines $20,638 for his unruly behavior on a flight from London to Newark on March 1, 2023. MacDonald got into an altercation with his traveling companion and became belligerent, threatening, and intimidating towards flight attendants, prompting them to attempt to calm him down. Despite the intervention of passengers and crew, MacDonald could not be restrained and the plane was diverted to Bangor International Airport instead of its intended destination. MacDonald was arrested and charged with felony interference with flight crew members and attendants, and misdemeanor assault on a special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He pleaded guilty on March 22 and was ordered to pay the restitution as part of his sentence.