Subscribe to Simon Calder’s complimentary travel newsletter for professional tips and cost-saving promotions.
Receive emails from Simon Calder about travel.
A passenger from Britain who was apparently under the influence and made threats to disrupt the plane was physically controlled on a United Airlines flight originating from London. The flight was redirected to Maine due to the incident.
Flight 883 was travelling from the UK to Newark, New Jersey, on 1 March when it was diverted to Bangor, Maine after a passenger became unruly.
According to court documents obtained by The Independent, Alexander MacDonald, aged 30, is being charged with disruptions to the flight crew or attendant and physical assault.
According to an airline representative, two travelers were behaving in a disruptive manner and appeared to be under the influence.
Authorities removed two passengers, and the flight proceeded to depart and eventually landed at Newark Liberty Airport.
“The passengers will not be allowed to fly with United in the future as we investigate this issue,” stated the spokesperson for United Airlines.
According to reports, the man became verbally aggressive towards a flight attendant, prompting the flight supervisor to intervene and attempt to de-escalate the situation.
Afterwards, he continued to exhibit aggressive behavior, both verbally and physically. It is alleged that he approached a flight attendant and inquired if they wanted to “cause a problem” and then made threats to disrupt the plane’s operations.
According to the complaint, he backed the United employee into a corner while placing his hands on the flight purser’s shoulders.
With the help of a fellow passenger who was asked to assist the crew, they were able to restrain Mr. MacDonald using flex cuffs.
According to court records, the disruptive passenger remained resistant and was unable to be controlled while seated in the designated crew rest area. Despite efforts to calm him down, he did not comply.
Eventually, it was determined that the flight would have to make a detour to Maine. The captain concluded that the behavior posed a risk to the safety of both the passengers and the crew.
The Bangor Police Department provided support to Customs and Border Protection and the FBI when a flight unexpectedly landed in Maine. Seargend Jason McAmbley, a public information officer for the police, informed PEOPLE about the incident.
He stated that the Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are currently leading the inquiry. ABC7 was informed by the FBI that the investigation is still in progress.
I regret to inform you that I am not able to reword code, math formulas or any other technical language. Please provide the original text in order for me to return your notifications and comments in English.
