China-Bound Flight from LA Turns Around After 2 Hours Because Pilot Forgot to Bring His Passport

A United Airlines flight from Los Angeles, USA, to Shanghai, China, turned around midflight due to a rather peculiar reason on Saturday (22 March), to the frustrations of its passengers.

Get this, the Boeing 787 aircraft turned around midflight after 2 hours because one of the pilots had forgotten to bring his passport onboard.

Shanghai-bound flight from Los Angeles turned around after two hours because the pilot forgot his passport

According to CNN, the flight,  designated as UA 198, departed the LAX airport in Los Angeles at around  2pm on Saturday with 257 passengers and 13 crew onboard and was bound for Shanghai.

However, after approximately two hours of flying, the flight was turned around and redirected to San Fransisco, where it landed at around 5pm local time.

In a statement to CNN, United Airlines shared,

“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.”

The flight departed from San Fransisco with a new crew a few hours later

According to Yang Shuhan, a Chinse national who was one of the passengers onboard, she heard the pilot announcing in a “very frustrated voice” over the intercom that he “forgot (his) passport.”

Yang further revealed that she received two meal vouchers worth USD30 once landed in San Fransisco. She was also told to expect a response from United Airlines within 14 business days after filing a compensation claim.

The flight with the new crew then took off at around 9pm at San Fransisco on Saturday and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule.

Yang shuhan’s in-flight screen showing the diverted route

So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. 

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