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A United Airlines passenger got “belligerent” with flight attendants. Here’s what that will cost him.
Unruly behavior on airplanes can lead to hefty fines for passengers.
Just ask Alexander Michael Dominic MacDonald, from Chelmsford, England, who this week was ordered to pay $20,638 to United Airlines for his outbursts on a flight from London to Newark, New Jersey, in March.
The incident kicked off when MacDonald, 30, was having a loud argument with his girlfriend, according to an affidavit. The situation soon escalated and he started yelling at a flight attendant. He was both verbally and physically aggressive, according to court documents.
“When flight attendants asked MacDonald to be quiet and attempted to calm him, he became belligerent, threatening, and intimidating towards them,” the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement announcing the fine. He also told the cabin crew lead that he would “mess up the plane,” court documents show.
MacDonald was ultimately restrained with flex cuffs, and the flight — with 160 people on board — was diverted to Bangor, Maine. MacDonald, who has been in custody since March 1, pleaded guilty on March 22 to one count of interfering with a flight crew. He was also sentenced to time already served.
At the time of the incident, United Airlines said in a statement that the plane had landed in Bangor “after two passengers, who appeared intoxicated, became disruptive.” Law enforcement officials removed the passengers, who were not identified, from the flight, which took off again to land at Newark airport.
A surge in incidents involving bad behavior in the air began during the pandemic, with tensions running high among passengers and flight crew on issues like mask-wearing.
In 2022, the FAA announced it was making permanent a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers. “Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen at the time. “Unsafe behavior simply does not fly and keeping our Zero Tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior.”
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There are many reasons to consider investing in gold right now. With high inflation, geopolitical unrest and the coming election, having a healthy safe haven allocation in your investment portfolio makes sense. And, gold is an effective way to protect your portfolio from risk.
Gold’s price has seen strong growth this year, too. After starting the year off at $2,063.73, the price of gold climbed to $2,439.98 by May 20. But that price has since cooled. Today, gold is trading at around $2,380.00 per ounce. Although that’s significantly lower than gold’s May record high, it still represents more than 15% growth year-to-date.
While there are many reasons to invest in gold, it’s important to make the right moves when you do, particularly this July.
Invest in gold now to give your portfolio a boost.
3 gold investing moves to boost your portfolio this July
You can use gold to improve your portfolio’s performance in a few ways this July. Some of the most effective include:
Focus on allocation
Gold’s price has grown quite a bit this year. And, the safe haven properties of the precious metal are valuable given the current economic, political and geopolitical climates. So, you may want to add quite a bit of the yellow metal to your portfolio. But, you shouldn’t overdo your investment.
While gold is an attractive safe haven, the stock market’s performance has been strong this year, too – the S&P 500 is up around 17% year-to-date. And, it’s important to balance your portfolio with a healthy mix of safe havens and traditional assets like stocks and bonds.
Most experts say you shouldn’t allocate more than 10% of your portfolio assets to gold. Some suggest that a 5% gold allocation is more reasonable. So, consider your investment goals, the other assets in your portfolio and how gold relates to those assets when choosing your allocation. But, in any case, keep your holdings to a maximum of 10% of your portfolio’s assets.
Take advantage of gold’s safe haven and inflation protection properties today.
Invest now
Gold’s price is down but it may not stay there for long. Gold’s price tends to go through cycles. Upward cycles are typically followed by downward cycles and vice versa. Based on the cyclical nature of gold’s price, there are two reasons why waiting to make your investment could be a mistake:
- The discount could disappear: If you buy gold now, you’ll do so at a discount to its most recent high. But, if you wait too long, that discount could disappear.
- You could be priced out: Gold isn’t a cheap commodity, even considering the current discount. And, if history is any indication, gold’s price will continue to produce long-term gains – regardless of the short-term cycles it experiences. So, if you wait too long, gold’s price could become cost-prohibitive – making it difficult to add the commodity to your portfolio later.
So, add gold to your portfolio now to take advantage of the current discount in its price and avoid any issues with being priced out of the market later.
Look for discounted options
Gold’s spot price is typically the price that’s quoted online. But, that’s not usually the price you pay when you purchase the commodity. In most cases, dealers add a markup to the spot price to generate a profit. So, it’s possible to overpay for the commodity if you’re not careful – but it’s also possible to find discounted options.
Many online gold dealers buy second-hand precious metals and resell them at a discount to their freshly-minted counterparts. And, while these products may have some imperfections and may not be the particular design you want, their value is in the weight of the gold they’re made with. So, when you look for these discounts, you could cut the cost of your gold investment while you take advantage of the benefits of adding the precious metal to your portfolio.
The bottom line
Gold is a compelling asset with valuable inflation protection and safe haven qualities. But, when you invest invest in the precious metal this July, it’s a good idea to make your investment strategically. In particular, invest now and be sure that when you do, you maintain a healthy allocation representing 10% or less of your portfolio’s value. Also, look for opportunities to buy gold at a discount. Doing so could cut the cost of your investment. Compare your options among leading gold dealers now.
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The Amazon Prime Day sale doesn’t start until next week, but the rival sales are starting now. Walmart, one of Amazon’s largest competitors, is launching its competing Walmart Deals sale today, with deep discounts on back-to-school gear, must-have tech, summer essentials and more.
The Walmart Deals sale officially kicks off today (Monday, July 8) at 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT). Paid Walmart+ subscribers get five hours of early access to the deals, starting Monday at noon ET (9:00 a.m. PT).
We’ll be covering all the hottest deals today in real time, so we can point you toward all the biggest and best bargains today before they sell out. And if past Walmart sales (such as Walmart Deals for Days) are any indication, the best deals will sell out fast once they’re available to the general public.
Want to have a near-unbeatable advantage when it comes to scoring these deals? Sign up for Walmart+ now. The retailer is offering a special half-off offer on Walmart+ subscriptions this week, so you can join for just $49 for your first year. In addition to early access to today’s deals, you’ll get get free delivery from your local Walmart store, returns picked up from home, member savings on fuel and a complimentary subscription to the Paramount+ streaming service.
Tap the button below to get a half-price subscription to Walmart+ now. Once you’re signed up, read on to learn about all the hottest deals at Walmart Deals sale as we find them.