United Airlines flight diverts after pilot forgets passport

In an unusual and somewhat embarrassing turn of events, a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) was forced to divert after one of the pilots reportedly forgot their passport. View from the Wing first reported the incident, which led to a multi-hour delay for passengers.

United Airlines flight UA198, operated by a Boeing 787-9 (registration N35953), departed LAX on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 2:01 PM, bound for Shanghai. The 6,485-mile journey was expected to take around 13-14 hours, arriving in China the following day. However, about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the flight, while cruising westbound over the Pacific Ocean, one of the four pilots realized they had forgotten their passport—an essential document for international travel.

With the crew unable to continue to Shanghai, the flight made a U-turn and diverted to San Francisco (SFO), a key United Airlines hub, arriving at 4:54 PM after a total flight time of 2 hours and 53 minutes.

United Airlines provided passengers with an official update, describing the diversion as caused by an “unexpected crew-related issue requiring a new crew.” The airline issued $15 meal vouchers to affected passengers while arranging a replacement crew.

Despite the delay, the airline managed the situation efficiently, and the flight finally departed SFO for Shanghai at 9:01 PM. The aircraft arrived in China approximately six hours behind schedule.