Passengers on a United Airlines flight bound for China experienced a significant delay after the pilot discovered they had forgotten their passport, forcing the plane to turn back mid-flight.
Flight UA198, which departed from Los Angeles en route to Shanghai on Saturday afternoon, was already over the Pacific Ocean when it made a U-turn and headed towards San Francisco, according to flight tracking data.
United Airlines confirmed the incident to the AFP news agency on Tuesday. The airline stated in an email that the Boeing 787, carrying 270 passengers, made an unscheduled stop in San Francisco because “the pilot did not have their passport onboard.”
The airline added that a new crew was arranged to fly the passengers to their destination later that evening. United said that “customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation,” although the specific details of the compensation were not disclosed.
Tracking data indicates that the flight eventually landed at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport after midnight, approximately six hours behind its scheduled arrival time.
The United flight’s diversion occurred as travellers globally continued to face disruptions stemming from a power outage at London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest hub, the previous day.
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