Passengers heading to China aboard a recent United Airlines flight faced an unexpected travel headache after a pilot’s forgotten passport prompted their return to the United States.
Flight UA198 from Los Angeles to Shanghai was over the Pacific Ocean on Saturday afternoon when it made a U-turn and headed to San Francisco, tracking data showed.
United confirmed on Tuesday to AFP in an email that the plane, a Boeing 787 with 270 people onboard, made a stop in San Francisco “as the pilot did not have their passport onboard”.
Most countries require flight crews to clear customs if they’re on the ground for more than a certain amount of time. The only one I know off the top of my head is Canada, which requires it over 1.5 hours.
In reality, the timeline was likely 1) pilot messaged the company about the problem shortly into the flight, 2) company said "ok, keep going while we look into options, and 3) 30 minutes or an hour later they told the crew to turn around. Flight crews don’t make logistical decisions in cases like this.