A United Airlines flight bound for China was forced to make an unexpected U-turn after the pilot realised they had forgotten their passport—leaving nearly 260 passengers stranded for hours.
Flight UA198, scheduled to fly from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Shanghai, departed at 2:00pm local time on Saturday 22 March with 257 passengers onboard. But less than two hours into the 13.5-hour journey, the flight diverted to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) due to what United later confirmed was a “crew-related issue”.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows the Boeing 787-9 had made significant progress over the Pacific Ocean before it abruptly turned back, landing at San Francisco just before 5:00pm.
Passport Mishap Causes Major Disruption
The reason for the diversion? The pilot forgot to bring their passport, a requirement for international travel—even for airline crew. In a statement to The Independent, a United spokesperson confirmed:
“On Saturday, United flight 198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai landed at San Francisco International Airport as the pilot did not have their passport onboard. We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”
Passengers Left Frustrated
The incident triggered outrage among travellers, many of whom took to social media to voice their frustrations. One passenger posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“UA198 diverted to SFO because the pilot forgot his passport? Now stuck six plus hours. Completely unacceptable. United, what compensation are you offering for this total mishandling?”
Passengers were eventually given a $15 meal voucher and a later flight from SFO to Shanghai was arranged, departing at 9:00pm. That flight landed in Shanghai just before 1:00am local time the next day.
United Airlines responded to online complaints with apologies and provided passengers with links to request additional compensation.
Not the First Time
This isn’t the first time such an oversight has caused chaos. In 2019, a T’way Air flight from Vietnam to South Korea was delayed for 11 hours after a pilot misplaced his passport and could not enter the airport. That incident also led to hotel bookings for passengers and disciplinary action against the pilot.
Aviation Experts React
While rare, such incidents raise serious concerns about pre-flight checks and airline protocol.
“It’s a highly unusual situation but one that highlights the importance of thorough pre-departure procedures,” said an aviation expert. “In international travel, even pilots are subject to the same immigration requirements as passengers.”
What Happens Next?
Passengers are being advised to file compensation claims through United’s customer service channels. Under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, US airlines must address such delays fairly, especially when caused by preventable operational errors.
For now, the affected travellers are back on their way—but the embarrassment for United Airlines will likely linger much longer than the delay.
