Posted on 03/25/2025 4:25:16 AM PDT by DFG
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at lite.cnn.com ...
I was on a flight to Beijing about ten years ago. Over Siberia, about 3 hours from Beijing (on a 13 hour flight), we had to turn around because a Chinese lady tried to kill herself in the bathroom. The tried to cut herself and then tried to hang herself. Blood all over. She really, REALLY didn’t want to go home.
We landed in Alaska and I’d had enough. I took the next flight home instead of waiting another day to continue.
The question is, “Do you REALLY want to know?”
I’ll sit in my seat and sleep comfortably in my ignorance.
But I think my suggestion about an emergency passport would have been possible.
Just sayin'...
BIL used to travel to China regularly for his job and he had a laminated card that he would use to point to to get to his hotel, airport etc. and he never varied by staying within the China system. One of his co-workers from another company (Disney) decided to go outside the system and got a Chinese version of Uber where he was taken to the countryside and robbed of everything. Passport, license, CC etc. I guess Disney was able to expedite his return because of their political weight.
I never use my driver’s license when flying. My military ID is Real ID and my license isn’t. As for my passport and passprt card, they always stay in my carry on backpack that always goes on every trip.
Maybe on the smaller regional jets. That is not happening on the bigger jets and especially on the heavies.
I totally agree!
Well back to being a bush pilot for hunters.
Don’t know if it’s still true but there was a time when airline pilots started out in the Air Force or Navy.
If you listen to the podcast, it is indeed happening, in this case United Airlines, at least according to one of their pilots.
I was stationed in Europe back in the late 70's/early 80's. The military ID allowed travel to most NATO countries. At some point anti US military protests started to take hold a bit as well the Red Brigades kidnapping a US general. I went to the local embassy and got a passport so I didn't have to flash my military ID to travel or rent a hotel room, etc.
That said: if I have to cary a passport for travel, it goes into a pouch that I wear around my neck...
I’m confused, are they saying that if the pilot landed in Shanghai without his passport the Chicoms would through him in jail?
These days I think it is likely a combination of both. From what I’ve read the retired 45 year old military pilot has to start off on the ground floor at airlines. It is a union thing....
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