Two interesting stories by Oregonlive:

First, the guy was not charged and walked free: No charges for Salem man whose behavior caused Hawaii-bound airliner to return to Portland

And most interesting, the pilots felt the escort was not necessary and nor worth the money cost on aviation fuel for the two F-15 fighters.

Expert: Scrambling fighters to escort Portland airliner understandable, but expensive
By Helen Jung, The Oregonian
January 07, 2010, 11:33PM

The decision to send two F-15 fighter jets to escort a Hawaii-bound plane with an unruly passenger back to Portland was an unusual move that likely cost tens of thousands of dollars, according to an aviation expert.

The military escort of Hawaiian Airlines Flight 39 surprised even the crew onboard, which had considered the threat as “Level 1,” or lowest-level risk, said Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Keoni Wagner.

“Based on that, we were surprised that this triggered the reaction of scrambling fighter jets,” he said. “We don’t know where that came from.”

The decision came from commanders with the Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command, which guards against air attacks in the continental United States. Their decision to scramble jets is a discretionary decision and “truly depends on the circumstances that are unfolding,” said Lt. Col. Susan Romano, public affairs director for Continental NORAD.

……………..

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/expert_scrambling_fighters_to.html

Best regards