A United Airlines flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles was compelled to turn back to the United States after a pilot discovered mid-flight that they had left their passport behind, causing extensive delays and frustration among passengers.
Incident Details
United Airlines Flight 198 departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on March 22, 2025, at approximately 2 p.m. en route to Shanghai, China. It was found that one of the pilots was missing their passport about two hours into the flight, which was over the Pacific Ocean. That would result in the pilot not being able to enter China upon arrival, and an alternative was desperately required.
With 257 passengers and 13 crew members, the Boeing 787-9 aircraft was forced to divert to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The flight landed at SFO around 5 p.m. local time.
Passenger Experience
When they reached San Francisco, the passengers were explained the situation and given meal vouchers and compensation for the disruption. United Airlines scheduled a fresh crew to take the flight. After departing SFO at around 9 p.m., the flight reached Shanghai approximately six hours later than scheduled.
Most passengers were upset by the delay. Some of them took to social media sites to complain about it, with one passenger wondering how this could happen.
Operational Impact
The delay of Flight 198 cascaded into subsequent flights. Due to the plane’s delayed arrival in Shanghai, Flight 199, which was returning to Los Angeles from Shanghai, also experienced delays. This impact reached passengers traveling on both stages of the journey, and this shows the wider effects of such operation mistakes.
Industry Perspective
Aviation experts have characterized the incident as embarrassing and unacceptable for an international major airline. According to Endau Analytics founder Shukor Yusof, who is headquartered in Singapore, this is an example of a lack of discipline and will result in significant expenses for the airline, including compensation for passengers, additional fuel consumption, and diverted aircraft costs.
United Airlines’ Response
United Airlines confirmed the incident, saying the flight was diverted as the pilot lacked their passport on board. The airline asserted that they chartered a new crew to have passengers arrive at their destination that night and issued meal vouchers and compensation to impacted customers.
This episode highlights the paramount role of proper pre-flight checks and compliance with procedures by airline staff. Verification of all documents in order is key to avoiding such interruptions, which can result in passenger dissatisfaction as well as operational inefficiencies. Airlines need to reaffirm the importance of these measures in order to ensure reliability and trust among travelers.
