A United Airlines pilot had to turn the plane back after flying for two hours on a 13-hour trip when he suddenly realized he forgot something pretty important.
The flight took off as planned but didn’t get so far
Everything started off just fine. The United Airlines flight took off from LAX around 2 PM on March 22, with 257 passengers and 13 crew members on board. Everyone got settled, ready for the long journey ahead—but they didn’t get too far.
But a sudden U-turn caught passengers off guard
The flight was headed to Shanghai, but before passengers could even get into their in-flight movies, the plane suddenly turned around.
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The plane was redirected to San Francisco
FlightAware showed that after turning around, the plane didn’t go back to LAX—it was sent to San Francisco instead. It landed there around 5 PM local time.
The pilot realized he forgot something REALLY important
Imagine doing a quick pocket check before a trip—wallet, phone, keys… passport?
United later confirmed it, saying: “The pilot did not have their passport onboard.”
The pilot admitted his mistake over the speaker
Yang Shuhan, a passenger on flight UA 198, told CNN she could hear the frustration in the pilot’s voice when he got on the speaker and admitted—he’d forgotten his passport.
Passengers had mixed reactions to the situation
Shuhan said she respected the pilot for being upfront about it. But not everyone felt the same.
Over on RedNote, China’s version of Instagram, some passengers shared their thoughts—mostly along the lines of “speechless.”
United Airlines issued an apology and offered compensation
United responded to the online backlash with an apology, saying they were “sincerely sorry for the unexpected travel disruption.”
They also offered compensation—passengers got meal vouchers. One passenger even told CNN she used her $30 worth to grab a bite at the airport.
A new crew was sent to complete the journey
The passenger also filed a compensation claim, hoping to hear back from United within two weeks.
Meanwhile, the airline made sure the trip went on, saying, “We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening.”
The delay had a domino effect on other travelers
The new flight finally took off around 9 PM local time, landing in Shanghai about six hours late.
But the delay didn’t just affect those on board—it also messed up plans for passengers in Shanghai waiting to fly back to LA.