Latest news with #UA198
CNN
27-03-2025
- CNN
United Airlines plane turns around after pilot forgets passport
Source: CNN A United Airlines Boeing 787 jetliner flying from Los Angeles to Shanghai had to turn around last weekend after it was discovered one of the pilots had taken off without a passport, the airline told CNN in a statement. Flight UA 198 departed LAX at around 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, with 257 passengers and 13 crew onboard and headed northwest over the Pacific Ocean, bound for China's largest city. About two hours later, the plane turned around and was redirected to San Francisco, where it landed around 5 p.m. local time, according to the website FlightAware. 'The pilot did not have their passport onboard,' United said in the statement. 'We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.' The flight with the new crew took off around 9 p.m. and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule. Yang Shuhan, a Chinese passenger on board, told CNN that she heard the pilot's 'very frustrated voice' over the intercom, saying he 'forgot (his) passport.' After landing in San Francisco, Yang received two meal vouchers totaling $30, which she used for a meal at a Japanese restaurant in the airport. She said she also filed a compensation claim on United's website, where she was informed to expect a response within 14 business days. The traveler from Hangzhou, in eastern China, was on her way back from a business trip. After reaching Shanghai at 12:43 a.m. on Monday, she still had to drive another two and a half hours, she said, leaving her exhausted. While the unexpected delay threw a wrench in her Monday working plans, Yang said she appreciated the pilot's 'honesty.' However, many of her fellow passengers grumbled and said they were 'outraged' and 'speechless' on RedNote, China's Instagram-like platform. 'How could someone mess up this badly at work?' read a popular RedNote post appearing to be from another Chinese passenger on board. The post has gotten more than 10,000 likes. The disruptions didn't stop with UA 198; passengers on the returning flight, UA 199 from Shanghai to Los Angeles, were also affected due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. A Shanghai-based business traveler, who requested to stay anonymous over privacy concerns, told CNN that their LA-bound flight was also delayed for about six hours, forcing them to change their ticket to catch a connecting flight. 'I'm feeling pretty frustrated,' the person told CNN just after landing at LAX late Sunday night. 'Because of the delay, I have to reschedule all my plans for Monday, which is really inconvenient.' 'It's quite embarrassing (for United),' Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based Endau Analytics, an advisory firm that focuses on the aviation industry, told CNN. He added that the mistake is 'unacceptable' for a global airline like United and it shows 'a lack of discipline.' United is one of the world's largest carriers, flying 140 million people to more than 300 destinations across six continents each year, according to the company's website. Shukor noted that the 'absent-mindedness' reflected in the incident could cost the airline dearly, taking into account the costs of things like the jet fuel they had to dump before diverting and compensation for the passengers. While a series of plane crashes involving US carriers in recent months has raised security concerns, the latest incident with United is 'more of a protocol issue,' said Shukor. Just last week, an Orthodox Jewish passenger filed a lawsuit against the airline, alleging a United pilot forcibly removed him from a lavatory while he was experiencing constipation, exposing his genitalia to others during a flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston. Meanwhile, a New Jersey mother blasted United for asking her to remove her 'medically complex' son's breathing tube ahead of the plane's takeoff. Her TikTok video about the incident has garnered more than 1.3 million views. See Full Web Article
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘It's quite embarrassing': China-bound United flight turns around after pilot forgets passport
A United Airlines Boeing 787 jetliner flying from Los Angeles to Shanghai had to turn around last weekend after it was discovered one of the pilots had taken off without a passport, the airline told CNN in a statement. Flight UA 198 departed LAX at around 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, with 257 passengers and 13 crew onboard and headed northwest over the Pacific Ocean, bound for China's largest city. About two hours later, the plane turned around and was redirected to San Francisco, where it landed around 5 p.m. local time, according to the website FlightAware. 'The pilot did not have their passport onboard,' United said in the statement. 'We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.' The flight with the new crew took off around 9 p.m. and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule. Yang Shuhan, a Chinese passenger on board, told CNN that she heard the pilot's 'very frustrated voice' over the intercom, saying he 'forgot (his) passport.' After landing in San Francisco, Yang received two meal vouchers totaling $30, which she used for a meal at a Japanese restaurant in the airport. She said she also filed a compensation claim on United's website, where she was informed to expect a response within 14 business days. The traveler from Hangzhou, in eastern China, was on her way back from a business trip. After reaching Shanghai at 12:43 a.m. on Monday, she still had to drive another two and a half hours, she said, leaving her exhausted. While the unexpected delay threw a wrench in her Monday working plans, Yang said she appreciated the pilot's 'honesty.' However, many of her fellow passengers grumbled and said they were 'outraged' and 'speechless' on RedNote, China's Instagram-like platform. 'How could someone mess up this badly at work?' read a popular RedNote post appearing to be from another Chinese passenger on board. The post has gotten more than 10,000 likes. The disruptions didn't stop with UA 198; passengers on the returning flight, UA 199 from Shanghai to Los Angeles, were also affected due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. A Shanghai-based business traveler, who requested to stay anonymous over privacy concerns, told CNN that their LA-bound flight was also delayed for about six hours, forcing them to change their ticket to catch a connecting flight. 'I'm feeling pretty frustrated,' the person told CNN just after landing at LAX late Sunday night. 'Because of the delay, I have to reschedule all my plans for Monday, which is really inconvenient.' 'It's quite embarrassing (for United),' Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based Endau Analytics, an advisory firm that focuses on the aviation industry, told CNN. He added that the mistake is 'unacceptable' for a global airline like United and it shows 'a lack of discipline.' United is one of the world's largest carriers, flying 140 million people to more than 300 destinations across six continents each year, according to the company's website. Shukor noted that the 'absent-mindedness' reflected in the incident could cost the airline dearly, taking into account the costs of things like the jet fuel they had to dump before diverting and compensation for the passengers. While a series of plane crashes involving US carriers in recent months has raised security concerns, the latest incident with United is 'more of a protocol issue,' said Shukor. Just last week, an Orthodox Jewish passenger filed a lawsuit against the airline, alleging a United pilot forcibly removed him from a lavatory while he was experiencing constipation, exposing his genitalia to others during a flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston. Meanwhile, a New Jersey mother blasted United for asking her to remove her 'medically complex' son's breathing tube ahead of the plane's takeoff. Her TikTok video about the incident has garnered more than 1.3 million views.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Pilot's forgotten flight causes massive mid-air delay on flight from L.A. to China
A United Airlines flight out of Los Angeles International Airport had to turn around two hours into its nearly 14-hour trek to China after one of the pilots realized he'd failed to pack his passport, according to multiple media reports. The March 22 flight, UA 198, departed LAX at 2 p.m. with more than 250 passengers onboard and 13 crew members. It was headed to Shanghai, China's largest city. Some two hours into the Boeing 787 jetliner's northwest path over the Pacific Ocean, Yang Shuhan, a Chinese passenger who had been in the U.S. on business, told CNN she heard a pilot's 'very frustrated voice' announcing his forgotten passport over the PA system. The flight tracking website FlightAware shows the aircraft's abrupt diversion to San Francisco, where it landed at around 5 p.m. In a statement to CNN, United Airlines acknowledged that the pilot did not have his passport and said that in San Francisco, a new crew boarded the aircraft to take customers, who received meal vouchers and compensation, to their destination. The flight eventually took off again at around 9 p.m. and arrived in Shanghai approximately six hours behind schedule, according to reporting by the Daily Beast. Woman, 24, allegedly opens fire in Southern California road rage shooting The forgotten passport not only delayed those bound for Shanghai but also put the return flight back to Los Angeles six hours behind. 'I'm feeling pretty frustrated,' a business traveler who requested anonymity told CNN. 'I have to reschedule all my plans for Monday, which is really inconvenient.' The largest airline in the world, according to its website, United fly 140 million passengers to more than 300 destinations across six continents each year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Saudi Gazette
25-03-2025
- Saudi Gazette
China-bound United flight turns around after pilot forgets passport
HONG KONG — A United Airlines Boeing 787 jetliner flying from Los Angeles to Shanghai had to turn around last weekend after it was discovered one of the pilots had taken off without a passport, the airline told CNN in a statement. Flight UA 198 departed LAX at around 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, with 257 passengers and 13 crew onboard and headed northwest over the Pacific Ocean, bound for China's largest city. About two hours later, the plane turned around and was redirected to San Francisco, where it landed around 5 p.m. local time, according to the website FlightAware. 'The pilot did not have their passport onboard,' United said in the statement. 'We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.' The flight with the new crew took off around 9 p.m. and landed in Shanghai about six hours behind schedule. Yang Shuhan, a Chinese passenger on board, told CNN that she heard the pilot's 'very frustrated voice' over the intercom, saying he 'forgot (his) passport.' After landing in San Francisco, Yang received two meal vouchers totaling $30, which she used for a meal at a Japanese restaurant in the airport. She said she also filed a compensation claim on United's website, where she was informed to expect a response within 14 business days. The traveler from Hangzhou, in eastern China, was on her way back from a business trip. After reaching Shanghai at 12:43 a.m. on Monday, she still had to drive another two and a half hours, she said, leaving her exhausted. While the unexpected delay threw a wrench in her Monday working plans, Yang said she appreciated the pilot's 'honesty.' However, many of her fellow passengers grumbled and said they were 'outraged' and 'speechless' on RedNote, China's Instagram-like platform. 'How could someone mess up this badly at work?' read a popular RedNote post appearing to be from another Chinese passenger on board. The post has gotten more than 10,000 likes. The disruptions didn't stop with UA 198; passengers on the returning flight, UA 199 from Shanghai to Los Angeles, were also affected due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. A Shanghai-based business traveler, who requested to stay anonymous over privacy concerns, told CNN that their LA-bound flight was also delayed for about six hours, forcing them to change their ticket to catch a connecting flight. 'I'm feeling pretty frustrated,' the person told CNN just after landing at LAX late Sunday night. 'Because of the delay, I have to reschedule all my plans for Monday, which is really inconvenient.' 'Lack of discipline' 'It's quite embarrassing (for United),' Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based Endau Analytics, an advisory firm that focuses on the aviation industry, told CNN. He added that the mistake is 'unacceptable' for a global airline like United and it shows 'a lack of discipline.' United is one of the world's largest carriers, flying 140 million people to more than 300 destinations across six continents each year, according to the company's website. Shukor noted that the 'absent-mindedness' reflected in the incident could cost the airline dearly, taking into account the costs of things like the jet fuel they had to dump before diverting and compensation for the passengers. A Boeing 757-300 aircraft, operated by United Airlines, taxis on the runway after landing outside the Jeppesen Terminal at Denver International Airport (DEN) in Denver, Colorado, US, on Saturday, August 19, 2023. While a series of plane crashes involving US carriers in recent months has raised security concerns, the latest incident with United is 'more of a protocol issue,' said Shukor. Just last week, an Orthodox Jewish passenger filed a lawsuit against the airline, alleging a United pilot forcibly removed him from a lavatory while he was experiencing constipation, exposing his genitalia to others during a flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston. Meanwhile, a New Jersey mother blasted United for asking her to remove her 'medically complex' son's breathing tube ahead of the plane's takeoff. Her TikTok video about the incident has garnered more than 1.3 million views. — CNN
Express Tribune
25-03-2025
- Express Tribune
United Airlines pilot forgets passport, forces LAX-Shanghai flight to turn around mid-air—Passengers get $15 coupon
A United Airlines passenger jet takes off with New York City as a backdrop, at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, US December 6, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS In a bizarre travel mishap, a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai had to turn back mid-air after one of its pilots realized they had forgotten their passport. The unexpected detour caused major delays and sparked outrage among the 257 passengers, especially after the airline handed out just $15 meal vouchers as compensation. Flight UA198, a Boeing 787-9, took off from LAX at 2:00 PM on March 22, 2025, only to reverse course two hours later, landing in San Francisco around 5:00 PM. The reason? One of the four pilots onboard couldn't legally enter China without a passport—an oversight that turned into a six-hour headache for travelers. A United Airlines plane made a U-turn two hours into the flight, after the pilot realized they forgot their passport The 257 passengers were given a $15 coupon — Dexerto (@Dexerto) March 24, 2025 Social media lit up with passenger frustration. 'UA198 diverted to SFO because the pilot forgot his passport? Now stuck for over six hours. Completely unacceptable. United, what compensation are you offering for this total mishandling?' wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). Another chimed in sarcastically: '$15 at an airport? That gets you a bottle of water and half a granola bar!' After securing a new crew, the rescheduled flight finally took off from San Francisco at 8:28 PM, landing in Shanghai at 12:48 AM on March 24—more than six hours behind schedule. United confirmed the incident, stating: 'On Saturday, flight UA198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai landed at San Francisco International Airport because the pilot did not have their passport onboard. We arranged for a new crew to transport customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.' The blunder isn't an isolated incident—just a week earlier, another United pilot forgot their passport before a Shanghai-bound flight, causing a delay. These repeated missteps have passengers and aviation insiders alike questioning the airline's pre-flight protocols. As one Reddit user suggested, 'They have checklists for everything—fuel, maintenance, safety. Maybe add 'Do you have your passport?' to the list!' While passengers in Europe could have received up to $650 for a preventable delay of this scale, U.S. travelers were left with snacks and simmering frustration. The takeaway? Even the skies aren't safe from human error—and sometimes, it costs you more than just time.
