You forget your passport, you miss your flight. The pilot forgets his passport, 270 people miss their flight. United handed out $15 food vouchers and called it compensation. United Airlines Flight UA198 left Los Angeles on March 22, 2025, heading for Shanghai with 257 passengers and 13 crew members on board. About two hours into the flight, the pilot made an announcement. He sounded "very frustrated" over the intercom, according to one passenger. He had forgotten his passport. The plane turned around and landed in San Francisco around 5 p.m. Without a passport, the pilot would not have been able to enter China, and the airline decided turning back was the only option. Passengers were stuck at the airport for about three hours while United arranged a replacement crew. To make up for the delay, the airline handed out meal vouchers. One passenger received two vouchers totaling $30. Others reported getting $15 vouchers. The flight finally took off again around 9 p.m. and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule. The return flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles was also delayed because the plane arrived late. A business traveler on that flight told CNN he had to rebook a connecting flight because of the mess. Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof called the incident "quite embarrassing" and said it showed "a lack of discipline" for a global airline like United. He noted that the fuel dumped before landing alone would cost the airline a significant amount of money. Passengers posted about the incident on social media. One person wrote, "How does a pilot forget his passport? I am speechless." Another passenger on RedNote said, "How could someone mess up this badly at work?" The post got more than 10,000 likes. A passenger named Yang Shuhan told CNN she appreciated the pilot's honesty but was exhausted after the delay. She still had to drive two and a half hours after landing in Shanghai. #UnitedAirlines #UA198 #FlightDelay #TravelFail

You forget your passport, you miss your flight. The pilot forgets his passport, 270 people miss their flight. United handed out $15 food vouchers and called it compensation. United Airlines Flight UA198 left Los Angeles on March 22, 2025, heading for Shanghai with 257 passengers and 13 crew members on board. About two hours into the flight, the pilot made an announcement. He sounded "very frustrated" over the intercom, according to one passenger. He had forgotten his passport. The plane turned around and landed in San Francisco around 5 p.m. Without a passport, the pilot would not have been able to enter China, and the airline decided turning back was the only option. Passengers were stuck at the airport for about three hours while United arranged a replacement crew. To make up for the delay, the airline handed out meal vouchers. One passenger received two vouchers totaling $30. Others reported getting $15 vouchers. The flight finally took off again around 9 p.m. and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule. The return flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles was also delayed because the plane arrived late. A business traveler on that flight told CNN he had to rebook a connecting flight because of the mess. Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof called the incident "quite embarrassing" and said it showed "a lack of discipline" for a global airline like United. He noted that the fuel dumped before landing alone would cost the airline a significant amount of money. Passengers posted about the incident on social media. One person wrote, "How does a pilot forget his passport? I am speechless." Another passenger on RedNote said, "How could someone mess up this badly at work?" The post got more than 10,000 likes. A passenger named Yang Shuhan told CNN she appreciated the pilot's honesty but was exhausted after the delay. She still had to drive two and a half hours after landing in Shanghai. #UnitedAirlines #UA198 #FlightDelay #TravelFail