Originally Posted by
Aspen
Would it be possible for individual passengers to sue the individual responsible? I would not be looking for a big pay out but say $500 (x each passenger on board) Does anyone want to speculate on UAL's expenditure? 200 x hotel rooms, 4-6 hours worth of fuel from the diversion and return trip backtracking, AKL Aerodrome fees, having an aeroplane out of use for an additional 24 hours. $100,000 perhaps all up ?
I don't know, but I doubt it -- at least with regard to passengers on the flight, generally. Maybe for someone directly targeted by the belligerent passenger, but even that presents a whole bunch of complex legal issues involving multiple nations' laws and treaties.
The passenger appears to be a USA national, so it would seem (to non-expert me, at least) that a criminal case and possibly a civil case by United could proceed in the USA courts. I dearly hope United presses a civil case to the max. Make this a financial nightmare for the guy, and set a useful example for others who imagine that their petty disputes are worth escalating into an international flight diversion.