Press Release

Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald sentenced to time served and restitution

BANGOR, Maine: A Chelmsford, England man was sentenced this week in U.S. District Court in Bangor for interfering with a flight crew. The charge stemmed from an incident on a United Airlines flight that diverted to Bangor International Airport (BGR) on March 1, 2024.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, 30, to time served; he had been in custody since his arrest on March 1. MacDonald was also ordered to pay $20,638.00 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on March 22.

According to court records, MacDonald was a passenger aboard a United Airlines flight traveling from London, England to Newark, New Jersey on March 1, 2024. While the flight was in U.S. airspace, MacDonald began arguing with his travelling companion and causing a disturbance. When flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him, he became belligerent, threatening, and intimidating towards them. When the international purser aboard the flight intervened, MacDonald became belligerent and intimidating toward him as well and stated that he would "mess up the plane." When MacDonald's conduct continued, he was restrained in flex cuffs, and the flight was diverted to Bangor.

The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case.

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Updated April 26, 2024