Passengers on a United Airlines flight from LA to China were given a $15 coupon after the pilot turned around upon realizing he had forgotten his passport.
Traveling on a long trip can be extremely stressful, but for the 257 passengers on United Flight 198 from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, it became a nightmare.
According to CNN, the flight had originally left LAX at around 2PM on March 22, but had to turn around just two hours into the journey.
“The pilot did not have their passport onboard,” United Airlines said in a statement. “We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”
United Airlines gives passengers $15 after pilot’s passport mishap
After the flight was redirected to San Francisco and landed at 5PM local time, it took off again at 9PM, a full six hours behind schedule.
One passenger on board, Yang Shuhan, told CNN that she was given two meal vouchers which totalled $30, which she used on a Japanese restaurant at the airport.
She also revealed that the pilot had confessed to the mistake over the intercom and his voice sounded “very frustrated” over the fiasco.
Shuhan added that she filed a compensation claim with United and will receive a response in 14 business days.
Others weren’t so lucky, with the mishap requiring their meetings to be rescheduled and changing tickets to catch a connecting flight on their long journey.
This isn’t the first time a United Airlines pilot has gone viral, albeit for much more pleasant reasons.
In 2024, a pilot surprised 150 passengers on board after buying 30 pizzas for everyone on the aircraft following a 7-hour delay when someone collapsed in the bathroom and needed medical attention.
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