United Airlines flight forced to divert after pilot forgets passportCredit : Shutterstock, Robin Guess
Passengers on United Airlines Flight 198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai experienced an unexpected and rather bizarre delay on Saturday after their pilot realised—mid-flight—that he’d left his passport behind.
The flight had taken off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at around 1:47 pm local time, with 257 passengers and 13 crew members onboard. About two hours into the journey across the Pacific Ocean, passengers were informed by the pilot himself that they’d need to turn around. The reason? His missing passport.
Passengers wait as Airline organises new crew
The flight was redirected to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), landing shortly after 5 pm. Passengers then faced several hours of uncertainty as United Airlines quickly put together a replacement crew. To help ease the inconvenience, the airline offered passengers meal vouchers and compensation.
A new crew eventually took over, and the plane departed again around 8:30 pm, arriving in Shanghai about six hours later than scheduled.
Passenger Reaction: Shock, amusement and frustration
One passenger, Yang Shuhan, who was returning home to China after a business trip, described hearing the pilot’s voice on the intercom sounding ‘very frustrated,’ openly confessing, ‘I forgot my passport.’
The unusual incident quickly caught attention online, sparking discussions about how even pilots can sometimes make surprisingly human mistakes.
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