A New Jersey man has found out that it can be expensive to behave badly while flying. James August threatened his girlfriend, her children, passengers and crew members during a nonstop flight from Honolulu to New York. He even hit a flight attendant on her shoulder with the back of his hand, The Star Advertiser reported.
And while he was sentenced to three years probation in June, this week the judge ordered August to repay the airline for the costs of turning the plane around, returning to Honolulu.
The bill, which was the total of fuel, maintenance, ground crew, replacement flight crew, landing fee and re-catering of the plane, came in to $97,817, The Star Advertiser reported.
His restitution also covers what Hawaiian airlines paid to find seats on other airlines for the passengers on the flight. Not included in the cost were $46,900 worth of meal vouchers they gave passengers and the later return flight to Honolulu.
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