‘Lack of discipline’: United Airlines flight turns back midair after pilot forgets passport | World News
Imagine settling in for a long-haul flight across the Pacific, only to find out midair that your pilot forgot the one thing more essential than a boarding pass—his passport. That’s exactly what happened on United Airlines flight UA 198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai, forcing the plane to make a U-turn and causing a nearly six-hour delay, CNN reported.
Flight UA 198 took off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 2 pm on Saturday with 257 passengers and 13 crew members on board. However, after travelling northwest across the Pacific Ocean, the aircraft had to return to San Francisco when it was discovered that one of the pilots did not have the required travel document.
According to FlightAware, the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at approximately 5 pm local time. The airline then arranged for a new crew to take over, and the aircraft departed once again for Shanghai later in the evening. The flight finally reached its destination nearly six hours behind schedule.
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One passenger, Yang Shuhan, told CNN that she overheard the pilot’s “very frustrated voice” over the intercom, admitting that he had “forgot (his) passport.” The airline provided affected passengers with meal vouchers and compensation. Yang received two $30 meal tickets, which she used at a Japanese restaurant at the airport. She also submitted a compensation claim through United Airlines’ website and was informed she would receive a response within 14 business days.
In an official statement, United Airlines confirmed that the flight was delayed because “the pilot did not have their passport onboard.” The airline stated that they “arranged for a new crew” to ensure that customers could continue their journey to Shanghai.
Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based Endau Analytics, called the incident “quite embarrassing” and suggested that it reflected “a lack of discipline.” He added that such a blunder was “unacceptable” for a major international airline like United.
The delay had a ripple effect, also impacting passengers on UA 199, the return flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles, which was disrupted due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft.Story continues below this ad
A similar incident occurred in March last year when a Pakan International Airlines (PIA) cabin crew member was fined $200 Canadian authorities for arriving in Toronto without a passport. The flight attendant, who was on duty on PIA’s flight PK-781 from Islamabad to Toronto, had used general declaration paperwork to board the flight but was unable to clear immigration upon arrival.
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