Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai faced an unexpected detour when their journey was abruptly cut short—not by weather or technical issues, but because the pilot forgot his passport.

On Saturday, United Flight 198, bound for Shanghai, was forced to turn around nearly two hours after takeoff and land at San Francisco International Airport. According to a statement from United Airlines to AFP, the unexpected return was necessary because the captain had left his passport behind.

The aircraft had been in the air for almost two hours when the decision was made to reroute back to San Francisco. Meanwhile, the 257 passengers onboard, expecting to land in China after a grueling 13-hour flight, suddenly found themselves back in the U.S. with an extended delay ahead.

Outrage on Social Media

Frustrated passengers took to social media to vent their anger over the mishap.

"UA198 diverted to SFO because the pilot forgot his passport? Now we’re stuck here for over six hours. Absolutely unacceptable. @united, what kind of compensation are you offering for this disaster?" wrote passenger Paramjot Singh Kalra on X (formerly Twitter).

In response, United Airlines assured passengers that a replacement crew was arranged to complete the journey and confirmed that affected travelers would receive compensation.

Not the First Time

Surprisingly, this isn't the first instance of a flight being delayed due to a pilot’s missing passport.

In 2019, a flight departing from Vietnam was delayed for 11 hours after the captain misplaced his identification documents, preventing him from passing through airport security.

While flight disruptions due to forgotten paperwork are rare, they serve as a reminder that even the most routine pre-flight checks can have major consequences if overlooked.