Flight from Los Angeles to China makes unexpected U-turn: Plane gets turned around after pilot forgets passport
ByTrisha Sengupta
Mar 25, 2025 07:20 AM IST
Reportedly, the pilot remembered the forgotten passport mid-air, which caused the plane to turn around. This incident delayed the flight by six hours.
A United Airlines flight going from Los Angeles to China had to make an unexpected U-turn after it was discovered that one of the pilots boarded the flight without their passport. According to CNN, this ‘blunder’ by the pilot ended up making the plane land in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule.
United Airlines issued a statement after a plane turned around after a pilot forgot their passport. (AP)
United Airlines issued a statement after a plane turned around after a pilot forgot their passport. (AP)
The outlet reported that the flight, carrying 257 passengers and 13 crew onboard, was headed northwest over the Pacific Ocean. However, about two hours later, CNN reported, citing the website FlightAware, that it turned around and eventually landed in San Francisco. The flight again took off for China later in the evening with a new crew.
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How did the airline react?
According to CNN, United Airlines issued a statement following the incident. “The pilot did not have their passport onboard,” the airline wrote, adding, “We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”
What did social media say?
People posted varied remarks once the incident made it to various social media platforms. Some also slammed the airline for providing just meal vouchers after the delay.
A Reddit user asked, “What would happen though if the plane landed? Surely they would only find out once the plane had landed and the pilot was in the airport? There must be a way to authenticate a pilot other than passports like a back up on some type of system?”
Also Read: Pilot admits to delaying flight over an hour to get food for his crew. Watch viral video
Another added, “International airports generally have areas before you get to customs that are for passengers in transit, not entering that country but flying on to another one. The pilot would be required to stay in those areas until they are back on a flight out.”
A third commented, “Nothing horrible. Not sure why they didn’t just continue the flight. The airline would have notified the country ahead of time and he would probably have flown straight back as a passenger.” A fourth wrote, “Wow that seems like a pretty costly mistake lol. Not even considering the fuel, they had to give passengers time compensation and food vouchers. As well as getting another crew to fly.”
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