Passengers left fuming after flight forced to divert after pilot forgets passport
25 March 2025, 15:16 | Updated: 25 March 2025, 15:20
A United Airlines flight en route to Shanghai, China, was forced to turn back over the weekend after the pilot forgot their passport.
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According to the airline, the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon on United Flight 198, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Flight data from FlightAware.com showed the flight departed on time just before 2pm but was diverted to San Francisco, where it landed shortly after 5pm.
The aircraft was carrying 257 passengers and 13 crew members.
United Airlines issued a brief statement, confirming that the pilot lacked a passport, which led to the decision to return the plane to California.
A replacement crew was then assigned to fly the passengers to their planned destination.
The flight finally departed on Saturday evening, about six hours behind its original schedule.
Passengers received meal vouchers and compensation, in compensation for the disruption and delay.
