The American airline United Airlines had to turn back a Boeing 787 passenger plane traveling from Los Angeles to Shanghai after one of the pilots realized they had forgotten their passport.
Flight UA 198 took off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Saturday at 2:00 PM local time with 257 passengers and 13 crew members. After about two hours in the air, the plane turned back over the Pacific Ocean and was redirected to San Francisco.
United Airlines stated, “One of the pilots did not have their passport. To minimize inconvenience for our customers, we arranged a new crew and ensured they reached their destination that same evening. Passengers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”
With the new crew, the flight departed at 9:00 PM local time, reaching Shanghai with a delay of approximately six hours.
PASSENGERS REACT
One Chinese passenger, Yang Shuhan, said the pilot made the announcement in an “extremely frustrated tone,” simply stating, “I forgot my passport.”
After landing in San Francisco, Yang received a $30 meal voucher from the airline, which he spent at a Japanese restaurant in the airport. He also applied for compensation via United’s website and was informed that he would receive a response within 14 business days.
Yang expressed frustration over the delay affecting his work schedule on Monday. While he appreciated the pilot’s honesty, he noted that some passengers were “angry” and “confused.” A comment posted on China’s Instagram-like platform RedNote read, “How can someone make such a big mistake at work?”—receiving over 10,000 likes.
EXPERTS: “AN UNACCEPTABLE MISTAKE”
Shukor Yusof, the founder of the Singapore-based aviation consultancy Endau Analytics, called the incident “embarrassing for United.”
“This is an unacceptable mistake for a global airline of this scale. It reflects a lack of discipline,” Yusof stated.
The aviation expert highlighted that the incident could be costly for United, considering the fuel dumped during the return, compensation for passengers, and operational disruptions. “This negligence could turn out to be very expensive for the airline,” he warned.